Experimental Study of Sub-aerial, Submerged and Transitional Granular Slides in Two and Three Dimensions

Les glissements de terrain sont reconnus comme des dangers naturels avec des dommages majeurs qui peuvent causer un danger pour la vie humaine et/ou des pertes matérielles en raison de leur comportement destructeur. Ils se produisent généralement près des régions montagneuses (classées comme des glissements de terrain non submergés ou sous-aériens) ou près des zones côtières telles que les océans, les lacs, les berges des rivières, les baies (considérées comme des glissements de terrain sous-marins) qui génèrent des vagues destructrices de grande amplitude, semblables à des tsunamis.

Abstract

Landslides are recognized as natural hazards with massive casualties and loss of properties due to their damaging behavior. They usually happen near the mountainous regions (classified as unsubmerged or sub-aerial landslides) or near coastal areas such as oceans, lakes, riverbanks, bays (considered as submarine landslides) that generates destructive tsunami-like waves with high amplitudes. Deformable landslides usually can be regarded as the downward movement of granular material on an inclined and/or flat plane due to their nature. In this regard, in the present study, we experimentally investigate the gravity-driven slide of granular materials for various slope angles, material types, bed roughness, and flow regimes in 2D and 3D experimental setups.