Estudos de fluxo de detritos submarinos através de métodos experimentais, analíticos e numéricos

Abstract

The present work aims to perform physical and numerical modeling of a submarine debris flow in gentle slopes. The use of the centrifuge for the study of debris flow is relevant as the observation of these events in nature or their real scale modeling is a quite complex task. The physical modeling was performed in the drum centrifuge of the LM2C lab (Centrifugal Modeling Laboratory), configured for the simulation of submerged flows. Several mixtures were studied aiming the understanding of turbidity current and hydroplaning phenomena through the analysis of Reynolds and Froude numbers. Measurements of pore pressure and total stress and velocity fields were performed. The rheological parameters of the materials were determined using the Brookfield RST-CC-SST rheometer. Based on the results obtained in these tests, a rheological model was proposed, which single variable is the material liquidity index. Numerical modeling using the meshless SPH technique was performed to complement the study. The simulation made it possible to understand the mechanisms that cause aquaplaning and turbidity currents by visualizing the dynamic forces generated by the iteration of the mud with the aqueous medium.