A new index to determine the optimal width of sand control project

There are several thousands of kilometers of traffic lines in desert regions that are facing blown-sand related difficulties, such as sand burial. When designing a sand control project, the width of it should be specific for different regions due to differences in regional climate, sand source richness, and wind intensity. Currently, there is no universally applicable method to judge the proper width value. The value should ensure an optimization between protection effect and economic cost. After investigating 24 sand control projects in North China and comparing several common equations for climate and wind force, we propose a new sand control index to estimate an optimal width for sand control measures and meet 5 levels of protection expectation from failed to excellent, which can reflect the characteristics of regional climate, local sand richness, and the direction of the protected facility. Threshold values for the 5 levels are decided as 13.5, 27.5, 48, and 100. This new index is validated by applying to the two stages of sand control project of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, and the results agree well with the level-5 and level-2 control effects before and after the second stage of project. This index can be applied in a variety of situations, as it covers a wide range of climatic regions and engineering conditions.