Coupled CFD-DEM simulations of slit dam against debris-flow impacts: Effects of large-grain content
Author affiliations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15625/0866-7136/23721Keywords:
CFD-DEM, debris flow, impact force, slit dam, trapping efficiencyAbstract
Debris flows are catastrophic natural disasters that can potentially damage downstream facilities and affect human lives. These natural hazards are commonly mixtures of a muddy fluid phase and a solid phase composed of particles of different sizes, shapes, roughness, and compositions. To mitigate their impacts, different structural countermeasures such as closed-type check dams, slit dams, flexible dams, and baffle systems are proposed and constructed. In which, slit dams demonstrate outstanding abilities in dissipating flow energy, trapping boulders, and partly allowing muddy fluid and fine solid material to pass through. However, the effects of large-grain content on the structure–debris flow interaction and slit-dam ability remain elusive. In this work, we explore this missing understanding by simulating the debris flow composed of muddy fluid phase and solid phase with different binary-size mixtures characterized by various large-particle contents utilizing a coupled CFD-DEM approach. The results show that the increase of the large-grain content not only improves the run-up behavior but also enhances the magnitude of impact forces on slit dam. However, the volume of trapping particles does not significantly enhance with increasing the content of large grains for the previously recommended slit size. The increase of the inclination angle reduces the mitigating effects of slit dam in the case of increased large-grain content. These findings may provide a useful reference for structural engineers in designing debris-flow mitigating impact structures.
Downloads
References
Dong, L., & Pu, J. (2024). Debris-slit interaction considering the particle behavior controls the barrier performance of slit structure retaining dry granular flows. Environmental Earth Sciences, 83, 107. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-023-11323-1
Fang, J., Cui, Y., Li, X., & Nie, J. (2022). A new insight into the dynamic impact between geophysical flow and rigid barrier. Computers and Geotechnics, 148, 104790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2022.104790
Hu, H., Zhou, G. G., Song, D., Cui, K. F. E., Huang, Y., Choi, C. E., & Chen, H. (2020). Effect of slit size on the impact load against debris-flow mitigation dams. Engineering Geology, 274, 105764. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2020.105764
Huang, X., & Garcia, M. H. (1998). A Herschel-Bulkley model for mud flow down a slope. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 374, 305–333. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112098002845
Huang, Y., Bi, Y., & Zhang, B. (2022). Quantifying the impact load of rapid dry granular flows exerted on rigid slit structures using centrifuge experiments and DEM simulation. Computers and Geotechnics, 152, 105059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2022.105059
Huang, Y., Bi, Y., & Zhang, B. (2023). DEM investigation of the interaction between rapid dry granular flow and dual-slit structures. Engineering Geology, 313, 106957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2022.106957
Huang, Y., & Zhang, B. (2022). Challenges and perspectives in designing engineering structures against debris-flow disaster. European Journal of Environmental and Civil Engineering, 26(10), 4476–4497. https://doi.org/10.1080/19648189.2020.1854126
Jiang, Z., Fan, X., Siva Subramanian, S., Yang, F., Tang, R., Xu, Q., & Huang, R. (2021). Probabilistic rainfall thresholds for debris flows occurred after the Wenchuan earthquake using a Bayesian technique. Engineering Geology, 280, 105965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2020.105965
Kong, Y., & Guan, M. (2023). Hydro-mechanical simulations aid demand-oriented design of slit dams for controlling debris flows, debris avalanches and rock avalanches. Engineering Geology, 326, 107314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2023.107314
Leonardi, A., Goodwin, S. R., & Pirulli, M. (2019). The force exerted by granular flows on slit dams. Acta Geotechnica, 14, 1949–1963. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-019-00842-6
Li, N., Zhou, G. G. D., Cui, K. F. E., Kong, Y., & Huang, Y. (2025). The influence of the slit size and spacing on the impact dynamics of dry granular flows on slit dams. Géotechnique. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgeot.24.00053
Li, N., Zhou, G. G., Hu, H., Cui, K. F., & Huang, Y. (2023). Influence of trapping efficiency on the pile-up geometry of granular flows behind slit dams. Engineering Geology, 326, 107333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2023.107333
Li, X., & Zhao, J. (2018). A unified CFD-DEM approach for modeling of debris flow impacts on flexible barriers. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, 42(14), 1643–1670. https://doi.org/10.1002/nag.2806
Lucas-Borja, M. E., Piton, G., Yu, Y., Castillo, C., & Antonio Zema, D. (2021). Check dams worldwide: Objectives, functions, effectiveness and undesired effects. CATENA, 204, 105390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2021.105390
Mao, W., Wang, Y., Yang, P., Huang, Y., & Zheng, H. (2023). Dynamics of granular debris flows against slit dams based on the CFD-DEM method: Effect of grain size distribution and ambient environments. Acta Geotechnica, 18, 5811–5838. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-023-01944-y
Ng, C. W. W., Choi, C. E., Song, D., Kwan, J. H. S., Koo, R. C. H., Shiu, H. Y. K., & Ho, K. K. S. (2015). Physical modeling of baffles influence on landslide debris mobility. Landslides, 12, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-014-0476-y
Nguyen, T.-K., Nguyen, N. H., Vo, T.-T., & Chen, L. (2025). Dissipative effects of baffles on the dynamics of debris flow and its impact on downstream structure. Computers and Geotechnics, 184, 107246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2025.107246
Shen, W., Li, T., Li, P., & Lei, Y. (2020). Numerical assessment for the efficiencies of check dams in debris flow gullies: A case study. Computers and Geotechnics, 122, 103541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2020.103541
Sun, H., You, Y., Li, D., Liu, J., Wang, D., Wang, Z., & Lv, X. (2022). Improving the evaluation of the blockade behavior of open check dams: A small-scale physical modeling. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, 81, 279. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02773-1
Tang, C., Zhu, J., Li, W. L., & Liang, J. T. (2009). Rainfall-triggered debris flows following the Wenchuan earthquake. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, 68, 187–194. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-009-0201-6
Vango, M., Pirker, S., & Lichtenegger, T. (2018). Unresolved CFD-DEM modeling of multiphase flow in densely packed particle beds. Applied Mathematical Modelling, 56, 501–516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apm.2017.12.008
Vo, T.-T., Tran, D. M., Nguyen, C. T., & Nguyen, T.-K. (2023). Discrete element investigation of the mobility of granular mass flows. Solid State Communications, 369, 115190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssc.2023.115190
Wang, Z., Liu, D. -c., You, Y., Lyu, X. -b., Liu, J. -f., Zhao, W. -y., & Sun, H. (2009). Characteristics of debris flow impact on a double-row slit dam. Journal of Mountain Science, 20, 415–428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-022-7462-y
Zhou, G. G. D., Hu, H. S., Song, D., Zhao, T., & Chen, X. Q. (2019). Experimental study on the regulation function of slit dam against debris flows. Landslides, 16, 75–90. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-018-1065-2
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Funding data
-
National Foundation for Science and Technology Development
Grant numbers 107.01-2025.106
