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A frictional–collisional model for bedload transport based on kinetic theory of granular flows: discrete and continuum approaches

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2023

Rémi Chassagne*
Affiliation:
Université Grenoble Alpes, LEGI, CNRS UMR 5519, Grenoble, France
Cyrille Bonamy
Affiliation:
Université Grenoble Alpes, LEGI, CNRS UMR 5519, Grenoble, France
Julien Chauchat
Affiliation:
Université Grenoble Alpes, LEGI, CNRS UMR 5519, Grenoble, France
*
†Email address for correspondence: remi.chassagne@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr

Abstract

In this work, the modelling of collisional bedload transport is investigated with a focus on the continuum modelling of the granular flow. For this purpose, a frictional–collisional approach, combining a Coulomb model with the kinetic theory of granular flows, is developed. The methodology is based on a comparison with coupled fluid–discrete simulations that the classical kinetic theory model fails to reproduce. This inaccuracy may be explained by the assumptions of negligible interparticle friction and the absence of a saltation model in the continuum approach. In order to provide guidelines for the modelling, the fluctuating energy balance is computed in the discrete simulations and systematically compared with the kinetic theory laws. Interparticle friction is shown to affect the radial distribution function and to increase the energy dissipation, in agreement with previous observations. In addition, a saltation regime is identified, leading to departure from the viscosity and pseudo-thermal diffusivity laws of the kinetic theory in the dilute regime. Based on these observations, modifications to account for interparticle friction are included in the two-fluid model, and the kinetic theory is coupled with a saltation model. The results show that for inelastic frictional particles, interparticle friction controls energy dissipation, and the macroscopic behaviour of the granular flow does not depend on the microscopic particle properties. The proposed model reproduces the $\mu (I)$ rheology in the dense regime of the granular flow. Finally, the model is evaluated with experiments, showing significant improvements concerning the granular flow modelling.

Information

Type
JFM Papers
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press
Figure 0

Table 1.Expression of the coefficients in the constitutive relations of the kinetic theory given by the Garzó & Dufty (1999) model (left column) and the proposed model (right column).

Figure 1

Figure 1.Numerical set-up of the DEM simulations: $N$ layers of particles are deposited by gravity above a rough bed made of fixed particles. The fluid free surface is set to $H_f = Nd+h_w$.

Figure 2

Table 2.Physical parameters for each configuration: Shields number, particle to fluid density ratio, particle diameter, interparticle friction coefficient, restitution coefficient, fluid depth, free surface position, Stokes number and suspension number.

Figure 3

Figure 2.Fluid–DEM simulation results for the reference case $\theta = 0.6$, $\rho ^p/\rho ^f=2.5$, $d=6$ mm, $\mu ^p=0.4$ and $e=0.7$: (a) volume fraction profile, (b) dimensionless particle and fluid velocity profiles, and (c) granular temperature balance, in ${\rm Pa}\ {\rm s}^{-1}$.

Figure 4

Figure 3.Comparison between DEM (symbols) and two-phase flow results with initial model (solid lines) for different Shields numbers (simulation Ids 1–5): (a) volume fraction profiles, (b) dimensionless particle velocity and transport (inset) profiles, and (c) dimensionless granular temperature.

Figure 5

Figure 4.(a) Radial distribution function computed in the DEM simulations (symbols, simulation Ids 1 and 9–14) and with (3.2) (solid lines) for different values of interparticle friction. (b) Impact of interparticle friction on coefficient $a(\mu ^p)$ of (3.2) measured in the DEM simulations (black crosses) and proposed empirical fit (3.3) (solid line).

Figure 6

Figure 5.Dimensionless contact dissipation of granular temperature computed in the DEM simulations (symbols, simulation Ids 1 and 9–14) and predicted by the KT theory taking into account the effect of interparticle friction (solid lines). (a) Semi-log scale. (b) Linear scale; in the inset, solid lines correspond to the predicted dimensionless dissipation when the effect of interparticle friction is taken into account only in the radial distribution function.

Figure 7

Figure 6.(a) Dimensionless viscosity and (b) granular temperature flux coefficient computed in the DEM simulations for different particle to fluid density ratios $r$ (symbols, simulation Ids 1 and 6–8), and predicted by the classical KT theory (dashed black line) and with (3.7) and (3.10) for $r=2.5$ (solid black line).

Figure 8

Figure 7.Dimensionless granular temperature dissipation by the drag force computed in the DEM simulations (symbols, simulation Ids 1 and 9–14) compared with (2.25) (dashed black line) and with corrected model (3.13) (solid black line).

Figure 9

Figure 8.Comparison between DEM (symbols) and two-phase flow results with corrected model (solid lines) for: (a–c) varying Shields numbers, simulation Ids 1–5; (d–f) varying particle to fluid density ratios $r$, simulation Ids 1 and 6–8; (g–i) varying interparticle friction coefficients $\mu ^p$, simulation Ids 1 and 9–12; and ( j–l) varying restitution coefficients $e$, simulation Ids 1 and 15–17. (a,d,g,j) Volume fraction profiles; (b,e,h,k) dimensionless particle velocity and transport (inset) profiles; and (c, f,i,l) dimensionless granular temperature.

Figure 10

Figure 9.(a) Error between solid transport rate in the discrete simulations and predicted by the initial model (empty circles) and by the corrected model (solid squares) for varying Shields numbers (simulation Ids 1–5).(b) Comparison of the fluid velocity profiles between DEM (symbols) and two-phase flow results with corrected model (solid lines) for varying Shields numbers (simulation Ids 1–5).

Figure 11

Figure 10.Dimensionless rate of dissipation of granular temperature at contact for different restitution coefficients computed in the DEM simulations (simulation Ids 1 and 15–17) and predicted by the modified KT to account for interparticle friction ($\mu ^p = 0.4$).

Figure 12

Figure 11.Plots of (a) $\mu (I)$ and (b) $\phi (I)$ computed in the DEM (symbols) and compared with: the rheological law proposed by Maurin et al. (2016) ((1.1) and (1.2)) for bedload transport (dot-dashed lines); two-phase flow simulation with the initial model before any correction (configuration 1, dashed lines); and two-phase flow simulations with the corrected model for different Shields numbers (simulation Ids 1 and 3–5, solid lines).

Figure 13

Figure 12.Plots of (a) $\mu (I)$ and (b) $\phi (I)$ computed in the DEM (symbols) and compared with two-phase flow simulations with the corrected model for different interparticle friction coefficient (simulation Ids 1 and 9–12, solid lines).

Figure 14

Figure 13.Evaluation of the two-phase model with the Ni & Capart (2018) turbulent bedload transport experiments at four Shields numbers: (a) volume fraction, (b) dimensionless particle velocity, (c) dimensionless fluid velocity, and (d) dimensionless granular temperature.

Figure 15

Figure 14.Comparison of the initial (dashed line) and proposed (solid line) models with the experimental case $\theta =0.39$ (symbols): (a) volume fraction, (b) dimensionless particle velocity, and (c) dimensionless granular temperature.

Figure 16

Figure 15.Static friction coefficient as a function of interparticle friction.

Figure 17

Figure 16.Variation of $f(\mu ^p)$ as a function of $\mu ^p$.

Figure 18

Figure 17.Streamwise fluctuating kinetic energy as a function of the granular temperature computed in the DEM simulations for different Shields numbers (simulations 1–5). Dashed line is $2T$.