Finite difference lattice Boltzmann method for modeling dam break debris flows

A finite difference lattice Boltzmann method (FDLBM) for the simulation of mud and debris flows for one-dimensional cases has been introduced. The proposed FDLBM recovers the generalized equations of mud and debris flows, that is, an unsteady one-dimensional Saint-Venant equation, including the effects of the non-Newtonian behavior of the mixture of water and soil, contraction-expansion losses (or large eddy loss), wind force, various geometries, and lateral inflow or outflow. The proposed FDLBM can be implemented for various non-Newtonian viscoplastic constitutive models of the studied mud and debris flows. The method is validated against previous studies for several benchmark cases, including steady-state problems, hydraulic jump tests, dam breaks with dry and wet beds, and slope dam break floods. Finally, the Anhui debris dam failure flood was investigated by this approach, and the results demonstrated a good agreement with the observed computational and field tests.

Automated summary

In this study, a finite difference lattice Boltzmann method (FDLBM) was introduced for simulating one-dimensional mud and debris flows. The proposed FDLBM recovers the generalized equations for mud and debris flows, including the effects of non-Newtonian behavior, contraction-expansion losses, wind force, various geometries, and lateral inflow or outflow. The method was validated against previous studies and successfully applied to various benchmark cases. It also provided accurate results for the investigation of the Anhui debris dam failure flood.