Abstract
Through experiments and discrete particle method (DPM) simulations we present evidence for the existence of a recirculating structure, that exists near the front of dense granular avalanches, and is known as a breaking size-segregation (BSS) wave. This is achieved through the study of three-dimensional bidisperse granular flows in a moving-bed channel. Particle-size segregation gives rise to the formation of a large-particle-rich front and a small-particle-rich tail with a BSS wave positioned between the tail and front. We experimentally resolve the structure of the BSS wave using refractive-index matched scanning and find that it is qualitatively similar to the structure observed in DPM simulations. Our analysis demonstrates a relation between the concentration of small particles in the flow and the amount of basal slip, in which the structure of the BSS wave plays a key role. This leads to a feedback between the mean bulk flow velocity and the process of particle-size segregation. Ultimately, these findings shed new light on the recirculation of large and small grains near avalanche fronts and the effects of this behaviour on the mobility of the bulk flow.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Sharp, R.P., Nobles, L.H.: Mudflow of 1941 at wrightwood, Southern california. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 64(5), 547–560 (1953)
Bagnold, R.A.: Deposition in the process of hydraulic transport. Sedimentology 10(1), 45–56 (1968)
Takahashi, T.: Debris flow on prismatic open channel. J. Hydraul. Div. ASCE 106(3), 381–396 (1980)
Takahashi, T.: Debris flow. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 13, 57–77 (1981)
Johnson, A.M.: Physical Processes in Geology. Freeman, Cooper & Company, San Francisco (1970)
Johnson, A.M., Rodine, J.R.: Debris flows. In: Brunsden, D., Prior, D.B. (eds.) Slope Instability. Wiley (1984)
Costa, J.E., Williams, G.: Debris flow dynamics. Technical Report 84-606, (videotape) U.S. Geological Survey (1984)
Iverson, R.M., Logan, M., LaHusen, R.G., Berti, M.: The perfect debris flow? Aggregated results from 28 large-scale experiments. J. Geophys. Res. 115, F03005 (2010)
Iverson, R.M.: Debris flows: behaviour and hazard assessment. Geol. Today 30(1), 15–20 (2014)
Turnbull, B., Bowman, E.T., McElwaine, J.N.: Debris flows: experiments and modelling. C. R. Phys. 16(1), 86–96 (2015)
Pierson, T.C.: Flow Behavior of Channelized Debris Flows, pp. 269–296. Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest (1986)
Pouliquen, O., Delour, J., Savage, S.B.: Fingering in granular flows. Nature 386, 816–817 (1997)
Pouliquen, O., Vallance, J.W.: Segregation induced instabilities of granular fronts. Chaos 9(3), 621–630 (1999)
Woodhouse, M.J., Thornton, A.R., Johnson, C.G., Kokelaar, B.P., Gray, J.M.N.T.: Segregation-induced fingering instabilities in granular free-surface flows. J. Fluid Mech. 709, 543–580 (2012)
Baker, J.L., Johnson, C.G., Gray, J.M.N.T.: Segregation-induced finger formation in granular free-surface flows. J. Fluid Mech. 809, 168–212 (2016)
Wilson, L., Head, J.W.: Morphology and rheology of pyroclastic flows and their deposits, and guidelines for future observations. US Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap. 1250, 513–524 (1980)
Major, J.J., Iverson, R.M.: Debris-flow deposition: effects of pore-fluid pressure and friction concentrated at flow margins. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 111(10), 1424–1434 (1999)
Calder, E.S., Sparks, R.S.J., Gardeweg, M.C.: Erosion, transport and segregation of pumice and lithic clasts in pyroclastic flows inferred from ignimbrite at lascar volcano, chile. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 104(1), 201–235 (2000)
Félix, G., Thomas, N.: Relation between dry granular flow regimes and morphology of deposits: formation of levées in pyroclastic deposits. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 221(1), 197–213 (2004)
Bartelt, P., Glover, J., Feistl, T., Bühler, Y., Buser, O.: Formation of levees and en-echelon shear planes during snow avalanche run-out. J. Glaciol. 58(211), 980–992 (2012)
Johnson, C.G., Kokelaar, B.P., Iverson, R.M., Logan, M., LaHusen, R.G., Gray, J.M.N.T.: Grain-size segregation and levee formation in geophysical mass flows. J. Geophys. Res. 117(F1), 013301 (2012)
Thomas, N.: Reverse and intermediate segregation of large beads in dry granular media. Phys. Rev. E 62(1), 961–974 (2000)
Zanuttigh, B., Di Paolo, A.: Experimental analysis of the segregation of dry avalanches and implications for debris flows. J. Hydraul. Res. 44(6), 796–806 (2006)
Goujon, C., Dalloz-Dubrujeaud, B., Thomas, N.: Bidisperse granular avalanches on inclined planes: a rich variety of behaviors. Eur. Phys. J. E Soft Matter Biol. Phys. 23, 199–215 (2007)
Middleton, G.V.: Experimental studies related to problem of flysch sedimentation. In: Middleton, G.V., Bouma, A.H. (eds.) Flysch Sedimentology in North America (Lajoie, J. ed.). Business and Economics Science Ltd., pp. 253–272 (1970)
Ottino, J.M., Khakhar, D.V.: Mixing and segregation of granular materials. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 32(1), 55–91 (2000)
Savage, S.B., Lun, C.K.K.: Particle size segregation in inclined chute flow of dry cohesionless granular solids. J. Fluid Mech. 189, 311–335 (1988)
Rognon, P.G., Roux, J.-N., Naaim, M., Chevoir, F.: Dense flows of bidisperse assemblies of disks down an inclined plane. Phys. Fluids 19(5), 058101 (2007)
May, L.B.H., Golick, L.A., Phillips, K.C., Shearer, M., Daniels, K.E.: Shear-driven size segregation of granular materials: modeling and experiment. Phys. Rev. E 81, 051301 (2010)
Wiederseiner, S., Andreini, N., Epely-Chauvin, G., Moser, G., Monnereau, M., Gray, J.M.N.T., Ancey, C.: Experimental investigation into segregating granular flows down chutes. Phys. Fluids A 23(1), 013301 (2011)
Marks, B., Rognon, P., Einav, I.: Grainsize dynamics of polydisperse granular segregation down inclined planes. J. Fluid Mech. 690, 499–511 (2012)
Fan, Y., Boukerkour, Y., Blanc, T., Umbanhowar, P.B., Ottino, J.M., Lueptow, R.M.: Stratification, segregation, and mixing of granular materials in quasi-two-dimensional bounded heaps. Phys. Rev. E 86(5), 051305 (2012)
Staron, L., Phillips, J.C.: Segregation time-scale in bi-disperse granular flows. Phys. Fluids 26(3), 033302 (2014)
Gray, J.M.N.T., Gajjar, P., Kokelaar, P.: Particle-size segregation in dense granular avalanches. C. R. Phys. 16(1), 73–85 (2015)
Tunuguntla, D.R., Weinhart, T., Thornton, A.R.: Comparing and contrasting size-based particle segregation models. Comput. Part. Mech. 4(4), 387–405 (2017)
Edwards, A.N., Vriend, N.M.: Size segregation in a granular bore. Phys. Rev. Fluids 1(6), 064201 (2016)
Thornton, A.R., Gray, J.M.N.T.: Breaking size segregation waves and particle recirculation in granular avalanches. J. Fluid Mech. 596, 261–284 (2008)
Gray, J.M.N.T., Ancey, C.: Segregation, recirculation and deposition of coarse particles near two-dimensional avalanche fronts. J. Fluid Mech. 629, 387–423 (2009)
Gray, J.M.N.T., Kokelaar, B.P.: Large particle segregation, transport and accumulation in granular free-surface flows. J. Fluid Mech. 652, 105–137 (2010)
Gray, J.M.N.T., Kokelaar, B.P.: Erratum large particle segregation, transport and accumulation in granular free-surface flows—erratum. J. Fluid Mech. 657, 539 (2010)
Phillips, J.C., Hogg, A.J., Kerswell, R.R., Thomas, N.H.: Enhanced mobility of granular mixtures of fine and coarse particles. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 246(34), 466–480 (2006)
Gray, J.M.N.T., Ancey, C.: Segregation, recirculation and deposition of coarse particles near two-dimensional avalanche fronts. J. Fluid Mech. 629, 387–423 (2009)
Kokelaar, B.P., Graham, R.L., Gray, J.M.N.T., Vallance, J.W.: Fine-grained linings of leveed channels facilitate runout of granular flows. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 385, 172–180 (2014)
Gray, J.M.N.T., Thornton, A.R.: A theory for particle size segregation in shallow granular free-surface flows. Proc. R. Soc. A Math. Phys. Eng. Sci. 461, 1447–1473 (2005)
Marks, B., Eriksen, J.A., Dumazer, G., Sandnes, B., Måløy, K.J.: Size segregation of intruders in perpetual granular avalanches. J. Fluid Mech. 825, 502–514 (2017)
Gajjar, P., van der Vaart, K., Thornton, A.R., Johnson, C.G., Ancey, C., Gray, J.M.N.T.: Asymmetric breaking size-segregation waves in dense granular free-surface flows. J. Fluid Mech. 794, 460–505 (2016)
Gajjar, P., Gray, J.M.N.T.: Asymmetric flux models for particle-size segregation in granular avalanches. J. Fluid Mech. 757, 297–329 (2014)
van der Vaart, K., Gajjar, P., Epely-Chauvin, G., Andreini, N., Gray, J.M.N.T., Ancey, C.: Underlying asymmetry within particle size segregation. Phys. Rev. Lett. 114(23), 238001 (2015)
Golick, L.A., Daniels, K.E.: Mixing and segregation rates in sheared granular materials. Phys. Rev. E 80, 042301 (2009)
Davies, T.R.H.: Debris-flow surges—experimental simulation. J. Hydrol. 29(1), 18–46 (1990)
Armanini, A., Capart, H., Fraccarollo, L., Larcher, M.: Rheological stratification in experimental free-surface flows of granular–liquid mixtures. J. Fluid Mech. 532, 269–319 (2005)
Leonardi, A., Cabrera, M., Wittel, F.K., Kaitna, R., Mendoza, M., Wu, W., Herrmann, H.J.: Granular-front formation in free-surface flow of concentrated suspensions. Phys. Rev. E 92(5), 052204 (2015)
Mahapatra, P.S., Mathew, S., Panchagnula, M.V., Vedantam, S.: Effect of size distribution on mixing of a polydisperse wet granular material in a belt-driven enclosure. Granul. Matter 18(2), 1–12 (2016)
Chambon, G., Ghemmour, A., Laigle, D.: Gravity-driven surges of a viscoplastic fluid: an experimental study. J. Non Newton. Fluid Mech. 158(1), 54–62 (2009)
Chambon, G., Ghemmour, A., Naaim, M.: Experimental investigation of viscoplastic free-surface flows in a steady uniform regime. J. Fluid Mech. 754, 332–364 (2014)
Wiederseiner, S., Andreini, N., Epely-Chauvin, G., Ancey, C.: Refractive-index and density matching in concentrated particle suspensions: a review. Exp. Fluids 50, 1183–1206 (2011)
Dijksman, J.A., Rietz, F., Lőrincz, K.A., van Hecke, M., Losert, W.: Invited article: refractive index matched scanning of dense granular materials. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83(1), 011301 (2012)
Hübl, J., Steinwendtner, H.: Estimation of rheological properties of viscous debris flow using a belt conveyor. Phys. Chem. Earth Part B Hydrol. Oceans Atmos. 25(9), 751–755 (2000)
Weinhart, T., Hartkamp, R., Thornton, A.R., Luding, S.: Coarse-grained local and objective continuum description of three-dimensional granular flows down an inclined surface. Phys. Fluids 25(7), 070605 (2013)
Tunuguntla, D.R., Thornton, A.R., Weinhart, T.: From discrete elements to continuum fields: extension to bidisperse systems. Comput. Part. Mech. 3(3), 349–365 (2016)
Goldhirsch, I.: Stress, stress asymmetry and couple stress: from discrete particles to continuous fields. Granul. Matter 12(3), 239–252 (2010)
Weinhart, T., Thornton, A.R., Luding, S., Bokhove, O.: Closure relations for shallow granular flows from particle simulations. Granul. Matter 14(4), 531–552 (2012)
Batchelor, G.K.: A brief guide to two-phase flow. Theor. Appl. Mech. 1, 27–40 (1989)
du Pont, S.C., Gondret, P., Perrin, B., Rabaud, M.: Granular avalanches in fluids. Phys. Rev. Lett. 90(4), 044301 (2003)
Shattuck, M.D., Ingale, R.A., Reis, P.M.: Granular thermodynamics. AIP Conf. Proc. 1145(1), 43–50 (2009)
Capart, H., Young, D.L., Zech, Y.: Voronoï imaging methods for the measurement of granular flows. Exp. Fluids 32(1), 121–135 (2002)
Thornton, A.R., Weinhart, T., Ogarko, V., Luding, S.: Multi-scale methods for multi-component granular materials. Comput. Methods Mater. Sci 13(2), 197–212 (2013)
Weinhart, T., Tunuguntla, D. R., van Schrojenstein-Lantman, M. P., van der Horn, A. J., Denissen, I. F. C., Windows-Yule, C. R., de Jong, A. C., Thornton, A. R.: Mercurydpm: a fast and flexible particle solver part a: technical advances. In: Proceedings of 7th International Conference on DEM, Springer, pp. 1353–1360 (2017)
Cundall, P.A., Strack, O.D.L.: A discrete numerical model for granular assemblies. Geotechnique 29(1), 47–65 (1979)
Silbert, L.E., Ertaş, D., Grest, G.S., Halsey, T.C., Levine, D., Plimpton, S.J.: Granular flow down an inclined plane: Bagnold scaling and rheology. Phys. Rev. E 64(5), 051302 (2001)
Beare, W.G., Bowden, F.P.: Physical properties of surfaces. I. Kinetic friction. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. A 234(741), 329–354 (1935)
Weinhart, T., Thornton, A.R., Luding, S., Bokhove, O.: From discrete particles to continuum fields near a boundary. Granul. Matter 14(2), 289–294 (2012)
Thornton, A.R., Weinhart, T., Luding, S., Bokhove, O.: Frictional dependence of shallow-granular flows from discrete particle simulations. Eur. Phys. J. E 35(12), 127 (2012)
Jing, L., Kwok, C.Y., Leung, Y.F.: Micromechanical origin of particle size segregation. Phys. Rev. Lett. 118(11), 118001 (2017)
Gray, J.M.N.T., Ancey, C.: Multi-component particle-size segregation in shallow granular avalanches. J. Fluid Mech. 678, 535–588 (2011)
Silbert, L.E., Landry, J.W., Grest, G.S.: Granular flow down a rough inclined plane: transition between thin and thick piles. Phys. Fluids 15(1), 1–10 (2003)
Rajchenbach, J.: Dense, rapid flows of inelastic grains under gravity. Phys. Rev. Let. 90(14), 144302 (2003)
Bagnold, R.A.: Experiments on a gravity-free dispersion of large solid spheres in a newtonian fluid under shear. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. A Math. Phys. Sci. 225(1160), 49–63 (1954)
Hungr, O., Evans, S.G.: Entrainment of debris in rock avalanches: an analysis of a long run-out mechanism. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 116(9–10), 1240–1252 (2004)
Kokelaar, B.P., Graham, R.L., Gray, J.M.N.T., Vallance, J.W.: Fine-grained linings of leveed channels facilitate runout of granular flows. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 385, 172–180 (2014)
Pouliquen, O.: Scaling laws in granular flows down rough inclined planes. Phys. Fluids 11(3), 542–548 (1999)
Saingier, G., Deboeuf, S., Lagrée, P.-Y.: On the front shape of an inertial granular flow down a rough incline. Phys. Fluids 28(5), 053302 (2016)
Jing, L., Kwok, C.Y., Leung, Y.F., Sobral, Y.D.: Effect of geometric base roughness on size segregation. EPJ Web Conf. 140, 03056 (2017)
Staron, L., Phillips, J.C.: How large grains increase bulk friction in bi-disperse granular chute flows. Comput. Part. Mech. 3(3), 367–372 (2016)
Goujon, C., Thomas, N., Dalloz-Dubrujeaud, B.: Monodisperse dry granular flows on inclined planes: role of roughness. Eur. Phys. J. E 11(2), 147–157 (2003)
Jing, L., Kwok, C.Y., Leung, Y.F., Sobral, Y.D.: Characterization of base roughness for granular chute flows. Phys. Rev. E 94(5), 052901 (2016)
Takahashi, T.: Debris flow. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 13(1), 57–77 (1981)
Jessop, D.E., Kelfoun, K., Labazuy, P., Mangeney, A., Roche, O., Tillier, J.-L., Trouillet, M., Thibault, G.: Lascar pyroclastic flow deposits, and implication for flow dynamics and rheology. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 245(81–97), 2012 (1993)
Acknowledgements
This study was funded by the Dutch STW VIDI project No. 13472, the Swiss SNF Grant No. 200021-149441, and by NERC grants NE/-E003206/1 and NE/K003011/1 as well as EPSRC grants EP/I019189/1, EP/K00428X/1 and EP/M022447/1. J.M.N.T.G. is a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award holder (WM150058) and an EPSRC Established Career Fellow (EP/M022447/1). The authors are grateful to B. de Graffenried for technical assistance, to M. Teuscher for designing and building the experimental setup, and to J.-L. Pfister for assistance with the experiments and analysis. The authors also thank H. Capart for providing the Voronoï tracking code and the referees for helping to improve this paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
van der Vaart, K., Thornton, A.R., Johnson, C.G. et al. Breaking size-segregation waves and mobility feedback in dense granular avalanches. Granular Matter 20, 46 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-018-0818-x
Received:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-018-0818-x