A Lagrangian–Eulerian procedure for the coupled solution of the Navier–Stokes and shallow water equations for landslide-generated waves

This work presents a partitioned method for landslide-generated wave events. The proposed strategy combines a Lagrangian Navier Stokes multi-fluid solver with an Eulerian method based on the Boussinesq shallow water equations. The Lagrangian solver uses the Particle Finite Element Method to model the landslide runout, its impact against the water body and the consequent wave generation. The results of this fully-resolved analysis are stored at selected interfaces and then used as input for the shallow water solver to model the far-field wave propagation. This one-way coupling scheme reduces drastically the computational cost of the analyses while maintaining high accuracy in reproducing the key phenomena of the cascading natural hazard. Several numerical examples are presented to show the accuracy and robustness of the proposed coupling strategy and its applicability to large-scale landslide-generated wave events. The validation of the partitioned method is performed versus available results of other numerical methods, analytical solutions and experimental measures.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Tsunamis generated by fast granular landslides: 3D experiments and empirical predictors

Landslides falling into water bodies can generate impulsive waves, which are a type of tsunamis. The propagating wave may be highly destructive for hydraulic structures, civil infrastructure and people living along the shorelines. A facility to study this phenomenon was set up in the laboratory of the Technical University of Catalonia. The set-up consists of a new device releasing granular material at high velocity into a wave basin. A system employing laser sheets, high-speed and high-definition cameras was designed to accurately measure the high velocity and geometry of the sliding mass as well as the produced water displacement in time and space. The analysis of experimental data helped to develop empirical relationships linking the landslide parameters with the produced wave amplitude, propagation features and energy, which are useful tools for the hazard assessment. The empirical relationships were successfully tested in the case of the 2007 event that occurred in Chehalis Lake (Canada).Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Numerical modelling of wave fields and currents in coastal area

The design and management of coastal engineering, like harbors and coastal defense structures, requires the simulation of hydrodynamic phenomena. This special issue collects five original papers that address state of the art numerical simulations of wave fields and wave-induced velocity fields in coastal areas. The first paper proposes a turbulence model for wave breaking simulation, which is expressed in terms of turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy (k-e); the proposed turbulence model is a modification of the standard k-e turbulence models. The second paper investigates modalities by which wind interacts with wave motion, modifying the wave propagation dynamic. The third paper proposes a study on waves overtopping over coastal barriers. The fourth paper details the numerical simulation of a tsunami wave that propagates over an artificial reservoir, caused by a landslide that creates a solid mass to detach from the slopes and to slide into the reservoir. The fifth paper examines an application case concerning Cetraro harbor (Italy), which is carried out using three-dimensional numerical simulations of wave motion

MANAGEMENT OF 20TH CENTURY HYDROELECTRIC PLANTS AS INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE

Abstract. By rapidly increasing the production of energy and widely extending the usage of electricity in the 20th century, hydroelectric plants and dams have radically affected the social, technological and industrial aspects of the period. Therefore, as an integral part of industrial heritage, the cultural assets of these energy facilities are required to be preserved. As a requirement of this hypothesis, it is necessary: to develop management strategies for these assets; to provide scientific data and information on these buildings / facilities; to define criteria of 'planned conservation' with long-term preventive measures in order to provide the continuation of the original function as long as possible. Hydroelectric plants are a common subject of interest for several disciplines, such as: engineering, hydrology, ecology, geo-sciences and remote sensing. Therefore, the conservation of the plants also requires the interdisciplinary study and collaboration of these disciplines.Within the study, the considerations of an interdisciplinary approach – such as dam safety, ecological concerns and energy requirements – are presented, and examples from different countries are examined through the framework of architectural conservation, considering cases of dam failures, intended removal of dams and upgrading of facilities. Preventive measures for the planned conservation of hydro electrical facilities such as: constant maintenance of technical components; management of the sediment accumulated in the reservoirs; methods of analysis for the structure of the embankment are introduced briefly, concentrating on gravity dams, in order to provide conclusions for the conservation of Sarıyar Dam and Hydroelectric Plant (1956) in Turkey.</p

Towards a predictive multi-phase model for alpine mass movements and process cascades

Alpine mass movements can generate process cascades involving different materials including rock, ice, snow, and water. Numerical modelling is an essential tool for the quantification of natural hazards. Yet, state-of-the-art operational models are based on parameter back-calculation and thus reach their limits when facing unprecedented or complex events. Here, we advance our predictive capabilities for mass movements and process cascades on the basis of a three-dimensional numerical model, coupling fundamental conservation laws to finite strain elastoplasticity. In this framework, model parameters have a true physical meaning and can be evaluated from material testing, thus conferring to the model a strong predictive nature. Through its hybrid Eulerian–Lagrangian character, our approach naturally reproduces fractures and collisions, erosion/deposition phenomena, and multi-phase interactions, which finally grant accurate simulations of complex dynamics. Four benchmark simulations demonstrate the physical detail of the model and its applicability to real-world full-scale events, including various materials and ranging through five orders of magnitude in volume. In the future, our model can support risk-management strategies through predictions of the impact of potentially catastrophic cascading mass movements at vulnerable sites

SPH modeling of water-related natural hazards

This paper collects some recent smoothed particle hydrodynamic (SPH) applications in the field of natural hazards connected to rapidly varied flows of both water and dense granular mixtures including sediment erosion and bed load transport. The paper gathers together and outlines the basic aspects of some relevant works dealing with flooding on complex topography, sediment scouring, fast landslide dynamics, and induced surge wave. Additionally, the preliminary results of a new study regarding the post-failure dynamics of rainfall-induced shallow landslide are presented. The paper also shows the latest advances in the use of high performance computing (HPC) techniques to accelerate computational fluid dynamic (CFD) codes through the efficient use of current computational resources. This aspect is extremely important when simulating complex three-dimensional problems that require a high computational cost and are generally involved in the modeling of water-related natural hazards of practical interest. The paper provides an overview of some widespread SPH free open source software (FOSS) codes applied to multiphase problems of theoretical and practical interest in the field of hydraulic engineering. The paper aims to provide insight into the SPH modeling of some relevant physical aspects involved in water-related natural hazards (e.g., sediment erosion and non-Newtonian rheology). The future perspectives of SPH in this application field are finally pointed out

Hydraulic 2D Model of Landslide Generated Wave –Cases of Chehalis Lake and Chambon Lake

Water Qualit

Tsunamis provoked by fast granular landslides : 3D laboratory experiments on generation and initial propagation of waves

Landslides and debris flows falling into reservoirs, natural lakes, fjords or seas can generate impulsive waves, which can be assimilated to tsunamis. This phenomenon, also known as "landslide tsunami", can be highly destructive with respect to dams, other structures and infrastructures as well as to people living along shorelines. The aftermath observation of destructive past events, such as the Vajont Dam in Italy (1963), is not enough to describe and finally to furnish sufficient information to help in adequately preventing the recurrence of the phenomenon. Several authors have carried out experimental studies on the topic in straight channels and wave basins with different landslide generators. Due to the lack of studies on the effects of granular landslides falling in a basin, and in order to explore new ranges of governing parameters for further experiments, the present research work was conceived and undertaken. To this effect, a facility to study that phenomenon was set up in the fluvial-morphodynamics laboratory of the Technical University of Catalonia. The system consists of a steep-slope flume releasing granular material in a wave basin. To achieve a high-speed mass movement, a metallic wheeled box was designed and built, sliding along the flume over rails having a very low surface roughness. The box, filled with gravel, accelerates down the slope. At the end of the run the box¿s flaps open to launch the granular material into the wave basin. A system was designed to be able to measure the high velocity and the geometry of the sliding mass. It employs the treatment of images captured by a high-speed camera which records the granular material at entry into the water. A grid on the water surface was set up employing laser sheets. Thus, by filming the water surface at impact and successively processing the resulting images, it was possible to accurately measure the produced waves. In the present work a number of 41 experiments, changing the main governing parameters, were carried out. The analysis of the experimental results has permitted to define empirical relationships between the landslides parameters and the produced wave amplitude, propagation and energy, as a tool useful for risk assessment. The empirical relationships were successfully tested on two real events: the Vajont Dam (Italy, 1963) and the Chehalis Lake (Canada, 2007). Particularly, the transfer of energy between landslide and water waves was examined. A newel 1D forward Euler model, including the 3D landslide deformations, was created with the aim of measuring the mentioned energy transfer. The result shows that about 52% of the landside energy is dissipated by Coulomb basal friction, about 42% is dissipated by other processes (mainly turbulence) and only the remaining 6% is transferred to the wave train thus formed.Cuando un deslizamiento o un flujo de detritos con elevada velocidad entra en un embalse, un lago, un fiordo o en el mar, se pueden generar una serie de olas de impulso que se definen como una tipología de tsunami. Este fenómeno puede ser extremamente destructivo, afectando a población, presas y cualquier tipo de estructura que se encuentre en la proximidad de las orillas. Los análisis a posteriori de desastrosos eventos históricos, como el caso del embalse del Vajont en Italia (1963), no son suficientes para describir y prevenir el fenómeno. Por estos motivos, varios autores han conducido experimentos sobre olas de impulso usando diferentes generadores de deslizamientos. Debido a la escasez de experimentos sobre el efecto de la entrada de deslizamientos granulares en un tanque de oleaje, y para explorar un rango más amplio de los parámetros involucrados, se ha planteado el presente trabajo de investigación. En el laboratorio de morfodinámica fluvial de la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, se ha instalado un nuevo dispositivo experimental utilizando un canal de alta pendiente que descarga en un tanque de oleaje. Para reproducir adecuadamente el fenómeno, se ha desarrollado un sistema capaz de acelerar la masa granular construyendo un carro de acero con ruedas encajadas en unos raíles montados sobre el canal de alta pendiente. El carro, cargado de grava, acelera durante la bajada. Sus puertas se abren al final del recorrido lanzando el material granular en el tanque. La velocidad y geometría del deslizamiento se han medido a través del procesado de imágenes procedentes de una cámara de fotos de alta velocidad de toma. Para medir las olas producidas, se ha instalado un sistema de planos láseres incidentes sobre la superficie del agua, creando una malla de líneas. Filmando la malla y posteriormente tratando las imágenes, se pudieron medir las olas producidas. Se han realizado 41 experimentos, cambiando los principales parámetros de gobierno del proceso. El análisis experimental ha permitido definir relaciones empíricas entre los parámetros del deslizamiento y la amplitud, propagación y energía de las olas producidas, como herramientas útiles para la evaluación del riesgo. Las fórmulas empíricas se han aplicado satisfactoriamente a dos casos reales: el embalse de Vajont (Italia, 1963) y el lago Chehalis (Canadá, 2007). En particular, con el objetivo de cuantificar la conversión de energía desde el deslizamiento hasta las olas, se ha creado un nuevo modelo numérico. El resultado muestra que la energía del deslizamiento viene disipada de un 52% por fricción basal y de un 42% por otros procesos (principalmente turbulencia). Solamente el 6% restante se transfiere a la serie de olas.Quan una esllavissada o una corrent d’arrossegalls entra a gran velocitat en un embassament, en un llac, en un fiord, o al mar, es poden generar una sèrie d'onades d'impuls que es defineixen com a una tipologia de tsunami. Aquest fenomen, conegut com a "landslide tsunami", pot ser extremadament destructiu, afectant a població, preses, o qualsevol tipus d'estructura que es trobi a la proximitat de les ribes. Els anàlisis a posteriori de desastrosos esdeveniments històrics, com el de l'embassament de Vajont a Itàlia (1963), no són suficients per descriure i preveure adequadament el fenomen. Per aquesta raó, varis autors han dirigit experiments sobre onades d'impuls en canals rectilinis o en dipòsits d'aigua utilitzant diferents generadors de esllavissades. Degut a l'escassetat d'estudis sobre els efectes de l'entrada de material granular en un dipòsit, i a causa de la necessitat d'explorar un rang més ampli dels paràmetres involucrats, s'ha plantejat el present treball d'investigació. En el laboratori de morfo-dinàmica fluvial de la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, s'ha instal·lat un nou sistema per estudiar el fenomen. La instal·lació consta d'un canal amb pendent acusada que descarrega en un dipòsit d'aigua. Per accelerar suficientment la massa granular, s’ha construït un carro d'acer amb rodes que llisca sobre uns rails fixats al canal. El carro, omplert de grava, accelera en la baixada. Les seves portes s’obren al final del recorregut llençant la grava al dipòsit. Es va definir un sistema capaç de mesurar la velocitat i la geometria del material granular a través del processament d'imatges procedents d'una càmera de fotografiar d'alta velocitat de tir. Finalment, es va instal·lar un sistema de plans làser incidents sobre la superfície d'aigua, creant una malla de línies. Filmant la malla i tractant posteriorment les imatges, es van poder mesurar les onades produïdes. En el present treball es van realitzar 41 experiments, canviant cada vegada els principals paràmetres de govern del procés. L'anàlisi experimental ha permès definir relacions empíriques entre els paràmetres de la esllavissada i l'amplitud, propagació i energia de les onades produïdes com eina útil per l’avaluació del risc associat. Les relacions empíriques s'han aplicat satisfactòriament a dos casos reals: l’ embassament de Vajont (Itàlia, 1963) i el llac Chehalis (Canada, 2007). En particular, amb l’objectiu d’analitzar la conversió d'energia des de la esllavissada fins a les onades, s'ha creat un nou model numèric. El resultat demostra que l'energia del lliscament ve dissipada de un 52% per fricció basal i de un 42% per altres processos dissipatius (principalment la turbulència). Tan sols el 6% restant es transfereix a les onades