EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON DEBRIS FLOWS OVER A NON-ERODIBLE BED Aldo Tamburrino* Armando Espinoza’ Yarko Wiffo ABSTRACT Some characteristics of a debris flow wave over a non- erodible bed were experimentally determined. The wave was generated by the sudden release of a sand-water mixture volume from the upstream end of a laboratory flume. The results can be summarized in two equations: the first is a resistance relationship relating the Froude number of the flow and an equivalent Reynolds ‘number. The second equation links the Reynolds number with the dimensionless mixture volume. Finally, an equivalent Manning’s coefficient computed for the debris flow is 75% higher than that for clear water. INTRODUCTION Debris flows are very complex flows. They are two-phase flows composed by mixtures of water and solid particles. Their occurrence can have disastrous consequences, usually involving economical and life losses [1,2]. Although many theoretical studies have been presented during last years [3,4], they always rely on some coefficient or parameter characterizing the mixture that have to be experimentally determined. Field measurements are usually difficult to obtain, due to the uncertainty of when and where the next debris flow will occur. On the other hand, after such a phenomenon has taken place, we would like to have some estimation of the magnitude of the detritic discharge, the volume involved, etc Frequently these data have to be inferred from the effect the debris flow has had on its course, like the marks left in the ‘assistant Professor, Department of Civil Bngineering, University of Chile, Casilla 228-3, Santiago, chile *Civil Engineer, Public Works Ninistry, Santiago, Chile.banks. Obviously, these estimations are rather crude due to uncertainties or ignorance about the data and generally they are obtained using some friction relationship like Manning’s or Chezy’s equation, the resistance coefficient being calibrated or obtained from previous similar events. The goal of this paper is to present some experimental results on debris flows over a non-erodible bed. The advantage of the experimental work is that the debris flow can be generated under controlled conditions, lessening the uncertainty in some parameters, like solid concentration in the mixture or debris volume. ‘Taking into account that the marks left by debris flows on the walls of the experimental flume correspond to the peak conditions of the flow (in analogy to what happens in nature), analysis of friction relationships are performed herein using the registered front velocity and maximum flow height. EXPERIMENTS ‘The experimental study was carried out in a rectangular flume, 6.5 m long, 0.2 mwide, 0.4 m deep and adjustable slope in the range 15'- 41%. The flume ended in a 2.4x1.5 horizontal deposition table. ‘The mixture used contained water and sand below mesh 80 (0.177 mm) with a mean size of 0.11 mm, with practically no material finer than mesh 200 (0.074 mm). The maximum concentration in volume (c,) that gives an homogeneous mixture was 48%. Saturation concentration was about 50.5%. Experiments were carried out for three slopes: 30, 35 and 40%. Concentrations were limited to those that produced a deposition in the table in the form of a fan at the end of the flume. Thus, they were in the range of 43 - 48%. For concentrations smaller than about 42% the sand-water mixture spread more or less uniformly on the table. Volumes of mixture tested were 25, 30, 40, 50 and 60 1t. The volume was initially contained in a chamber at the head of the channel and was released by the sudden opening of a gate. In order to avoid water segregation, the mixture was mechanically agitated in the chamber. Experiments were video-taped and later analyzed to get quantitative data. ANALYSIS OF EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS When the gate was opened, the mixture moved downstream as a wave with its characteristics changing as a function of distance until it more or less reached what was considered an equilibrium condition, for which the front velocity, U, and the maximum depth, #, remained constant. Once the wave reachesthe equilibrium, a balance between the weight and the frictional force must exist. It is assumed that the volume (V) of the wave and its surface area (S) where friction is acting, are given by goa Vay tomb 0) S - a, L(b+H) @) where L is the volume length, b is the flume width and a and a, are shape factors. A hydraulic radius R is defined as ae @ where a = a, /a,. If 1. is the average shear stress acting on the channel ‘surface, then the following relationship is valid Vo R sin(6) 4) where y, is the mixture specific weight and @ is the inclination angle of the flume, i = sin(é). Note that definitions 3 and 4 reduce to the usual ones when applied to a steady uniform flow. Defining a friction coefficient (f) as 1 5 =A gp x, ou () where p, is the mixture density, it is possible to determine £ from the experimental data. Computations were done by taking a=1. Any deviation from this value will be taken into account by the coefficients adjusted to the experimental data. The present results for f did not present a clear dependency on the concentration, probably due to the narrow range where it was varied and the scatter of the data. A plot of the friction factor in terms of RU is presented in Fig. 1. The experimental points seem to be independent of the channel slope. The best fitted curve gives 107-7 _ const. © (RU)E (RU)