Influence analysis of particle size and distribution on the final disposal of grains after a debris flow simulation using the Discrete Element Method
Jessika da Rocha Silva1; Luciana Correia Laurindo Martins Vieira1; Diogo Tenório Cintra1; William Wagner Matos Lira1
1 Universidade Federal de Alagoas
doi:10.20906/CPS/CILAMCE2015-0735
Resumo
This research aims to use a three-dimensional model to simulate the debris flow using the Discrete Element Method (DEM) approach, realizing experimental tests for calibration of friction parameters to analyze the influence of initial conditions on the final disposal of the particle system. Debris flow occurs when wet masses of soil rush down mountainsides as a result of gravitational forces and water flow. This landslide phenomenon may occur in a wide variety of environments. It is considered dangerous to life and damages roads, bridges, and houses because of its destruction force and high speed of flow. In the south and southeast regions of Brazil, weather conditions and geomorphological characteristics are the main factors that facilitate these mass movements. In particular, an important part of the oil industries in Brazil is located in these regions and landslides may affect their pipelines. In this context, a predictive study of debris flow models is a fundamental tool to prevent damage and losses. On the other hand, DEM is a numerical method used to simulate granular systems by tracking the trajectory of particles through a time integration scheme for small time steps. It considers contacts among particles and between particle and obstacles. In this work, the numerical stage is carried using the computational system named DEMOOP and the infrastructure of the Laboratory of Scientific Computing and Visualization (LCCV/UFAL), while the experimental stage is carried in the Laboratory of Geotechnics (LabGeo/UFAL). The experimental results are compared to a response surface generated by numerical simulations in order to calibrate the four friction parameters. The results from the calibration model to analyze the influence of parameters such as grain size and particle distribution on the final disposal of the debris flow.
Palavras-chave: debris flow; Discrete Element Method; granular systems