A new experimental facility for laboratory debris flow investigation

For debris flow hazard assessment often simple rheologic models are used in engineering practice. A vertically rotating drum has been constructed to study the flow behaviour of debris flow material in a laboratory environment. We provide a detailed description of the experimental setup, which allows generating and observing stationary surges of materials ranging from viscous slurries to granular flows for an extended time period. Results of tests with a homogeneous transparent liquid polymer (Carbopol Ultrez10 (R)) are presented and discussed. Two simple methods are outlined which allow the flow parameters for a Bingham model to be estimated.