Mécanismes élémentaires de l'érosion d'un sol cohésif

Les mécanismes élémentaires mis en jeu lors de l'érosion de surface d'un sol cohésif par un écoulement fluide demandent à être mieux connus dans le but d'améliorer la modélisation locale de l'érosion. Cette étude se propose d'analyser le, ou les, mécanisme(s) d'érosion par une approche expérimentale visant à mettre au point des matériaux modèles, pour ensuite les soumettre à des sollicitations hydrodynamiques et mécaniques contrôlées. Dans un premier temps, l'utilisation de matériaux pour lesquels il est possible de faire varier spécifiquement et continûment certaines caractéristiques permettra de déterminer les propriétés ayant une incidence forte sur la résistance à l'érosion et devant être introduites dans des modèles d'érosion. Ensuite, l'analyse plus locale du processus d'érosion permettra d'identifier les mécanismes par lesquels l'action mécanique d'un écoulement fluide conduit à l'arrachement des particules constitutives d'un matériau cohérent

Study of the elementary mechanisms of erosion mechanisms of cohesive granular materials

Les mécanismes élémentaires mis en jeu lors de l’érosion de surface d’un sol cohésif par un écoulement fluide demandent à être mieux connus dans le but d’améliorer la modélisation locale de l’érosion. En se basant sur une approche expérimentale, l’objectif de cette thèse vise à réaliser une étude paramétrique de l'érosion à l'aide de matériaux modèles, pour ensuite les soumettre à des sollicitations hydrodynamiques et mécaniques contrôlées. L'étude de matériaux granulaire sans cohésion a d'abord permis d'analyser la construction du nombre de Shields pour définir le seuil d'érosion. Ensuite, des essais de traction à différentes échelles ont permis de généraliser le nombre de Shields à des grains cohésifs par la relation entre seuil d'érosion et résistance mécanique. La mise au point de matériaux et d'essais d'érosion iso-indice a également permis de visualiser les mécanismes par lesquels l'écoulement conduit à l’arrachement de particules constitutives du matériau modèle lors d'essais de JET et de HET. Pour finir, d'autres types de matériaux cohésifs modèles ont été plus rapidement étudiés et révèlent de grandes perspectives d'études.Elementary mechanisms involved during the surface erosion of a cohesive soil by a fluid flow ask to be better understood for improving the local modeling of erosion. It is the objective of this thesis which aims, by an experimental approach, at working out model materials to submit them to hydrodynamic stresses and controlled mechanic stresses. The study of cohesion-less granular material allowed, in a first approach, to analyse the Shields number formulation to define the erosion threshold. In a second time, the grains have been made cohesive with liquid or solid matrix, and mechanical tests at different scales allowed to generalise the Shields number to both cohesive and non-cohesive particles. The development of erosion tests adjusted in optical index also made possible to visualised the mechanisms by which the fluid flow erode the constitutive particles of the material during Jet Erosion Tests and Hole Erosion Tests. Finally, different kinds of cohesive model materials were tested and show excellent perspectives

Generalized Shields criterion for weakly cohesive granular materials

International audienceThe erosion of natural sediments by a superficial fluid flow is a generic situation in many usual geological or industrial contexts. However, there is still a lack of fundamental knowledge about erosional processes, especially concerning the role of internal cohesion and adhesive stresses on issues such as the critical flow conditions for the erosion onset or the kinetics of soil mass loss. This contribution investigates the influence of cohesion on the surface erosion by an impinging jet flow based on laboratory tests with artificially bondedgranular materials. The model samples are made of spherical glass beads bonded either bysolid bridges made of resin or by liquid bridges made of a highly viscous oil. To quantify the intergranular cohesion, the capillary forces of the liquid bridges are here estimated by measuring their main geometrical parameters with image-processing techniques and using well-known analytical expressions. For the solid bonds, the adhesive strength of the materials is estimated by direct measurement of the yield tensile forces and stresses at the particle and sample scales, respectively, with specific traction tests developed for this purpose. The proper erosion tests are then carried out in an optically adapted device that permits a direct visualization of the scouring process at the jet apex by means of the refractive index matching technique. On this basis, the article qualitatively examines the kinetics of the scour crater excavation for both scenarios, namely, for an intergranular cohesion induced by either liquid or solid bonds. From a quantitative perspective, the critical condition for the erosion onset is discussed specifically for the case of the solid bond cohesion. In this respect, we propose here a generalized form of the Shields criterion based on a common definition of a cohesion number from yield tensile values, derived at both micro- and macro scales. The article finally shows that the proposed form manages to reconcile the experimental data for cohesive and cohesionless materials, the latter in the form of the so-called Shields curve along with some previous results of the authors which have been appropriately revisited

Erosion onset of a cohesionless granular medium by an immersed impinging round jet

International audienceAmong different devices developed quite recently to quantify the resistance to erosion of a natural soil within the broader context of dyke safety, the most commonly used is probably the Jet Erosion Test (JET) in which a scouring crater is induced by impingement of an immersed water jet. A comprehensive experimental investigation on the jet erosion in the specific situation of a cohesionless granular material is presented here. The tests were performed combining special optical techniques allowing for an accurate measurement of the scouring onset and evolution inside an artificially translucent granular sample. The impinging jet hydrodynamics are also analyzed empirically validating the use of a self-similar theoretical framework for the laminar round jet. The critical conditions at the onset of erosion appear to be best described by a dimensionless Shields number based on the inertial drag force created by the fluid flow on the eroded particles rather than on the pressure gradients around them. To conclude, a tentative empirical model for the maximal flow velocity initiating erosion at the bottom of the scoured crater is put forward and discussed in the light of some preliminary results

An experimental study of the transient regime to fluidized chimney in a granular medium

Localized fluidization within a granular packing along an almost cylindrical chimney is observed when an upward fluid-flow, injected through a small port diameter, exceeds a critical flow-rate. Once this threshold reached, a fluidized area is first initiated in the close vicinity of the injection hole before gradually growing upward to the top surface of the granular layer. In this work, we present an experimental investigation specifically dedicated to the kinetics of chimney fluidization in an immersed granular bed. Two different transient regimes are identified depending on wether the expansion of the fluidized area is rather fast and regular, reaching the final chimney state typically in less than 10 seconds, or, on the contrary, slow and very progressively accelerated, giving rise to transient duration up to 1 hour or even more. Some systematic investigations allow to propose several empirical scaling relations for the kinetics of chimney fluidization in the fast regular regime

An experimental study of the transient regime to fluidized chimney in a granular medium

Localized fluidization within a granular packing along an almost cylindrical chimney is observed when an upward fluid-flow, injected through a small port diameter, exceeds a critical flow-rate. Once this threshold reached, a fluidized area is first initiated in the close vicinity of the injection hole before gradually growing upward to the top surface of the granular layer. In this work, we present an experimental investigation specifically dedicated to the kinetics of chimney fluidization in an immersed granular bed. Two different transient regimes are identified depending on wether the expansion of the fluidized area is rather fast and regular, reaching the final chimney state typically in less than 10 seconds, or, on the contrary, slow and very progressively accelerated, giving rise to transient duration up to 1 hour or even more. Some systematic investigations allow to propose several empirical scaling relations for the kinetics of chimney fluidization in the fast regular regime

Fluid–structure instabilities in the axial balancing system of a turbo-pump

International audienceThe aim of this study is to investigate experimentally the transition from a rigid regime to a deformed regime for flexible discs freely advected in turbulent flows. For a given disc, the amplitude of the deformation is expected to increase when its bending modulus decreases or when the turbulent kinetic energy increases. To quantify this qualitative argument, experiments are performed where the deformation of flexible discs is measured using three cameras. The amplitude of the deformation has been characterised by the eigenvalues of the moment of inertia tensor. Experimental results exhibit a transition from a rigid regime to a deformed regime that depends on the size, the density and the flexibility of the disc and the turbulent kinetic energy. The modelling of this transition is a generalisation and an extension of the previous models used to characterise the deformation of flexible fibres in turbulent flows

Experimental investigation of impinging jet erosion on model cohesive granular materials

Erosion of soils affects both natural landscapes and engineering constructions as embankment dams or levees. Improving the safety of such earthen structures requires in particular finding out more about the elementary mechanisms involved in soil erosion. Towards this end, an experimental work was undertaken in three steps. First, several model materials were developed, made of grains (mostly glass beads) with solid bridges at particle contacts whose mechanical yield strength can be continuously varied. Furthermore, for most of them, we succeeded in obtaining a translucent system for the purpose of direct visualization. Second, these materials were tested against surface erosion by an impinging jet to determine a critical shear stress and a kinetic coefficient [2, 3]. Note that an adapted device based on optical techniques (combination of Refractive Index Matching and Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence [3]) was used specifically for the transparent media. Third, some specifically developed mechanical tests, and particularly traction tests, were implemented to estimate the mechanical strength of the solid bridges both at micro-scale (single contact) and at macro-scale (sample) and to investigate a supposed relationship with soil resistance to erosion

Experimental investigation of impinging jet erosion on model cohesive granular materials

Erosion of soils affects both natural landscapes and engineering constructions as embankment dams or levees. Improving the safety of such earthen structures requires in particular finding out more about the elementary mechanisms involved in soil erosion. Towards this end, an experimental work was undertaken in three steps. First, several model materials were developed, made of grains (mostly glass beads) with solid bridges at particle contacts whose mechanical yield strength can be continuously varied. Furthermore, for most of them, we succeeded in obtaining a translucent system for the purpose of direct visualization. Second, these materials were tested against surface erosion by an impinging jet to determine a critical shear stress and a kinetic coefficient [2, 3]. Note that an adapted device based on optical techniques (combination of Refractive Index Matching and Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence [3]) was used specifically for the transparent media. Third, some specifically developed mechanical tests, and particularly traction tests, were implemented to estimate the mechanical strength of the solid bridges both at micro-scale (single contact) and at macro-scale (sample) and to investigate a supposed relationship with soil resistance to erosion

Thermal response of a nanoscale hot-wire in subsonic and supersonic flows

A comprehensive characterization of the thermal response of nanoscale hot-wire probes is performed in both subsonic and supersonic flows. A constant current anemometer was designed for the measurement of the intrinsic thermal inertia of hot-wire probes. In particular, the nanoscale probe is considered with the effect of gold-plating on supporting structure of the targeted sensing element. Gold-plated nanoscale probes present a response time one order of magnitude smaller than conventional cylindrical hot-wire probes. Heat transfer simulations show that the temperature profile is considerably modified by the addition of a conductive metal layer, hence increasing the sensor's frequency response in both subsonic and supersonic flows. The increase of frequency response is finally exemplified by the numerical computation of the power spectral density of a turbulent flow signal without any electric compensation of the hot-wire signal