A Physical Investigation of the Flow Structure and Mobility Behaviour of Collisional Granular Landslides
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Authors
Coombs, Scott
Date
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Landslides , Granular flow , Smart Rocks sensors , Physical Modelling , Collisional flow
Alternative Title
Abstract
A fundamental understanding of the mechanisms affecting the mobility of granular landslide flow is critical for the management of risk to life and infrastructure below unstable slopes. Modelling methods used in practice are frequently semi-empirical and require calibration against high-quality physical data. Large scale physical landslide modeling in the Queen’s University landslide flume was conducted with the primary objective of quantifying the effect of collisional flow on the mobility of granular landslides. A series of monodisperse landslide tests was conducted with a constant volume of material, using various nominal grain sizes. A second series of monodisperse tests was conducted using a constant nominal particle size, while varying the size of the source volume. Flow velocities and flow thicknesses were quantified using high frame rate digital image data captured from top-down and side-profile viewing angles. Shear rates and volume fractions were calculated using data from the side-profile viewing camera. Highly instrumented “Smart Rock” sensors embedded within the landslide flow experiments were used as a means to measure the accelerations within the flows. Terrestrial laser scanning provided a method of accurately capturing deposit shape results, used for mobility analyses. Highly collisional landslide flows were produced when flow thicknesses were small relative to the particle size of the constituent landslide materials. Collisional flows were more dilute, travelled faster, were sustained for shorter durations, and resulted in larger measurements of acceleration magnitude. Landslide flows with similar collisional activity were observed to exhibit similar mobility behaviour. The flows with largest observed differences in collisional activity produced a change in the Fahrböschung of nearly 15 %. Collisional flows exhibited increased mobility and spreading compared to more frictional flows.
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Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States
Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.