Experimental investigation on granular flow past baffle piles and numerical simulation using a μ(I)-rheology-based approach

We set up a laboratory-scale installation and conducted seven sets of tests with varying baffle pile layouts and grain sizes. To reproduce the experiments, a depth-averaged avalanche dynamic model is developed adopting mu(I) rheology. The experiments and simulations identified the impedance effects of the distance between baffle piles and the bottom of the slope and the number of baffle piles rows. Both experimental and computation results reveal that shorter spacing between the baffle piles and the foot of the slope increases the energy dissipation capacity, and the first row of piles has a greater effect in terms of impeding the spread and runout of an avalanche. The experimental and theoretical investigations also consistently found a negative correlation between the particle size and size of the deposition zone and the runout distance. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.