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Geophysical flows impacting a flexible barrier: effects of solid-fluid interaction

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Abstract

Flexible barriers undergo large deformation to extend the impact duration, and thereby reduce the impact load of geophysical flows. The performance of flexible barriers remains a crucial challenge because there currently lacks a comprehensive criterion for estimating impact load. In this study, a series of centrifuge tests were carried out to investigate different geophysical flow types impacting an instrumented flexible barrier. The geophysical flows modelled include covered in this study include flood, hyperconcentrated flow, debris flow, and dry debris avalanche. Results reveal that the relationship between the Froude number, Fr, and the pressure coefficient α strongly depends on the formation of static deposits called dead zones which induce static loads and whether a run-up or pile-up impact mechanism develops. Test results demonstrate that flexible barriers can attenuate peak impact loads of flood, hyperconcentrated flow, and debris flow by up to 50% compared to rigid barriers. Furthermore, flexible barriers attenuate the impact load of dry debris avalanche by enabling the dry debris to reach an active failure state through large deformation. Examination of the state of static debris deposits behind the barriers indicates that hyperconcentrated and debris flows are strongly influenced by whether excessive pore water pressures regulate the depositional process of particles during the impact process. This results in significant particle rearrangement and similar state of static debris behind rigid barrier and the deformed full-retention flexible barrier, and thus the static loads on both barriers converge.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for financial support from research grant T22-603/15-N provided by the Research Grants Council of the Government of Hong Kong SAR, China and the HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study for their support. The authors acknowledge the support from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Pioneer Hundred Talents Program (Song Dongri) and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association, CAS. Also financial supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 11672318) and the International partnership program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant no. 131551KYSB20160002) are greatly appreciated.

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Correspondence to C. E. Choi.

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Song, D., Choi, C.E., Ng, C.W.W. et al. Geophysical flows impacting a flexible barrier: effects of solid-fluid interaction. Landslides 15, 99–110 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-017-0856-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-017-0856-1

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