Investigation of Granular Flow Structure in Landslide Tsunamis: Effects of Grain Size and Arrangement

Abstract

Landslide-induced waves are primarily controlled by granular dynamics during landslide–water impact. While particle size, velocity, and volume are recognized influences, the role of internal grain arrangement and segregation remains less clear. This study employs a coupled CFD-DEM model to investigate how vertical permutation of three fixed grain fractions and layered configurations affect surge generation and propagation. Simulations using three particle sizes (1, 3, and 5 mm) in six initial arrangements reveal that fine particles dominate leading wave formation through efficient momentum transfer, yielding an overall wave height growth of 5.22% and a maximum local growth rate of 2.42%. Grain size segregation governs deposit morphology, with larger particles migrating preferentially along the flow direction. Increasing still-water depth systematically shifts surge characteristics from strongly nonlinear, high-amplitude shallow-water waves to more linear, longer-wavelength, smaller-amplitude deep-water features. Energy dissipation, which is linked to reduced equivalent water depth, decreases wave celerity with propagation distance. The model reproduces granular collapse experiments with a relative error below 5%, confirming that granular segregation critically controls surge dynamics and providing a refined framework for simulating natural landslide-generated waves.

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