Debris-flow surges : experimental simulation

A laboratory moving-bed flume was used to study the development, behaviour and characteristics of high-concentration grain-in-fluid waves. These waves behaved similarly to reported debris-flow pulses. Observation of velocity and concentration profiles within the waves suggests that wave behaviour is mainly controlled by larger grains provided the background slurry of fine grains in water is sufficiently dense; that the front of a pulse is highly erosive while the tail is probably less erosive or depositional; and that the maximum height of a pulse is controlled by the velocity gradient within the flow