Fetch effect on the developmental process of aeolian sand transport in a wind tunnel

As the sand mass flux increases from zero at the leading edge of a saltating surface to the equilibrium mass flux at the critical fetch length,the wind flow is modified and then the relative contribution of aerodynamic and bombardment entrainment is changed.In the end the velocity,trajectory and mass flux profile will vary simultaneously.But how the transportation of different sand size groups varies with fetch distance is still unclear.Wind tunnel experiments were conducted to investigate the fetch effect on mass flux and its distribution with height of the total sand and each size group in transportation.The mass flux was measured at six fetch length locations(0.5,1.2,1.9,2.6,3.4 and 4.1 m)and at three free-stream wind velocities(8.8,12.2 and 14.5 m/s).The results reveal that the total mass flux and the mass flux of each size group with height can be expressed by q=aexp(–bh),where q is the sand mass flux at height h,and a and b are regression coefficients.The coefficient b represents the relative decay rate.Both the relative decay rates of total mass flux and each size group are independent of fetch length after a quick decay over a short fetch.This is much shorter than that of mass flux.The equilibrium of the relative decay rate cannot be regarded as an equilibrium mass flux profile for aeolian sand transport.The mass fluxes of 176.0,209.3 and 148.0μm size groups increase more quickly than that of other size groups,which indicates strong size-selection of grains exists along the fetch length.The maximal size group in mass flux(176.0μm)is smaller than the maximal size group of the bed grains(209.3μm).The relative contribution of each size group to the total mass flux is not monotonically decreasing with grain size due to the lift-off of some small grains being reduced due to the protection by large grains.The results indicate that there are complex interactions among different size groups in the developmental process of aeolian sand transport and more attention should be focused on the fetch effect because it has different influences on the total mass flux,the mass flux profile and its relative decay rate.

Effects of different types of guardrails on sand transportation of desert highway pavement

Guardrail,an important highway traffic safety facility,is mainly used to prevent vehicles from accidentally driving off the road and to ensure driving safety.Desert highway guardrails hinder the movement of wind-blown sand,resulting in the decline of sand transportation by the pavement and the deposition of sand gains on the pavement,and endangering traffic safety.To reveal the influence of guardrails on sand transportation of desert highway pavement,we tested the flow field and sand transport volume distribution around the concrete,W-beam,and cable guardrails under different wind velocities through wind tunnel simulation.Wind velocity attenuation coefficients,sand transportation quantity,and sand transportation efficiency are used to measure sand transportation of highway pavement.The results show that the sand transportation of highway pavement was closely related to the zoning characteristics of flow field and variation of wind velocity around the guardrails.The flow field of the concrete guardrail was divided into deceleration,acceleration,and vortex zones.The interaction between the W-beam guardrail and wind-blown sand was similar to that of lower wind deflector.Behind and under the plates,there were the vortex zone and acceleration zone,respectively.The acceleration zone was conducive to transporting sand on the pavement.The cable guardrail only caused wind velocity variability within the height range of guardrail,and there was no sand deposition on the highway pavement.When the cable,W-beam,and concrete guardrails were used,the total transportation quantities on the highway pavement were 423.53,415.74,and 136.53 g/min,respectively,and sand transportation efficiencies were 99.31%,91.25%,and 12.84%,respectively.From the perspective of effective sand transportation on the pavement,the cable guardrail should be preferred as a desert highway guardrail,followed by the W-beam guardrail,and the concrete guardrail is unsuitable.The study results provide theoretical basis for the optimal design of desert highway guardrails and the prevention of wind-blown sand disasters on the highway pavement.

Influence of Golmud-Lhasa Section of Qinghai-Tibet Railway on Blown Sand Transport

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway(QTR) passes through 281 km of sandy land, 11.07 km of which causes serious sand damage to the railway and thus, the control of blown sand is important for the safe operation of the railway. Construction of the railway and sand prevention system greatly changed the blown sand transport of the primary surface. Effective and feasible sand-control measures include stone checkerboard barriers(SCBs), sand fences(SFs), and gravel coverings. This study simulated the embankments, SCBs and SFs of the QTR in a wind tunnel, and analyzed their respective wind profile, sand deposition, and sand-blocking rate(SBR) in conjunction with field data, aiming at studying the influence of Golmud-Lhasa section of the QTR and sand prevention system on blown sand transport. The results of wind tunnel experiments showed that wind speed increased by 67.7%–77.3% at the upwind shoulder of the embankment and decreased by 50.0%–83.3% at upwind foot of embankment. Wind speed decreased by 50.0%–100.0% after passing through the first SF, and 72.2%–100.0% after the first row of stones within the first SCB grid. In the experiment of sand deposition, the higher the wind speed, the lower the SBR of SCB and SF. From field investigation, the amount of sand blocked by the four SFs decreased exponentially and its SBR was about 50.0%. By contrast, SCB could only block lower amounts of sand, but had a higher SBR(96.7%) than SF. Although, results show that SFs and SCBs along the Golmud-Lhasa section of the QTR provide an obvious sand blocking effect, they lead to the deposition of a large amount of sand, which forms artificial dunes and becomes a new source of sand damage.

Field Measurements of Influence of Sand Transport Rate on Structure of Wind-sand Flow over Coastal Transverse Ridge

The structure of wind-sand flow under different total sand transport rates was measured with field vertical anemometer and sand trap on the crest of typical coastal transverse ridge in Changli Gold Coast of Hebei Province, which is one of the most typical coastal aeolian distribution regions in China and famous for the tall and typical coastal transverse ridges. The measurement results show that, on the conditions of approximate wind velocities and same surface materials and environments, some changes happen to the structure of wind-sand flow with the increase of total sand transport rate on the crest of coastal transverse ridge. First, the sand transport rates of layers at different heights in the wind-sand flow increase, with the maximum increase at the height layer of 4-8cm. Second, the ratios of sand trans-port rates of layers at different heights to total sand transport rate decrease at the low height layer (0-4cm), but increase at the high height layer (4-60cm). Third, the distribution of the sand transport rate in the wind-sand flow can be expressed by an exponential function at the height layer of 0-40cm, but it changes from power function model to ex-ponential function model in the whole height layer (0-60cm) and changes into polynomial function model at the height layer of 40-60cm with the increase of total sand transport rate. Those changes have a close relationship with the limit of sand grain size of wind flow transporting and composition of sand grain size in the wind-sand flow.

Estimation of Sand Transportation Rate for Fixed and Semi-Fixed Dunes Using Meteorological Wind Data

Taibus County, Inner Mongolia, China, lies in a farming-pastoral ecotone, where severe wind erosion and various aeolian sand hazards are prevalent and fixed and semi-fixed sand dunes occur frequently. This study was conducted to investigate the relationships between sand transportation rate and wind speed for the fixed and semi-fixed sand dunes based on field measurements. The annual quantity of soil erosion by wind was estimated using meteorological wind data. The results indicated that the sand transportation rate in Taibus County in 2000 was 57.38 kg cm-1 year-1 for the semi-fixed dunes and 4.56 kg cm-1 year-1 for the fixed dunes. The total duration of erosive winds covered 12.5% of the time of the year, and spring posed the highest potential of sand transportation. Wind with low speed (≤ 17 m s-1) and high frequency plays a dominant role in sand transportation, while strong wind (≥ 17 m s-1) with low frequency significantly enhanced the sand transportation. Erosive wind speed, directions, and frequency were three crucial dynamic factors influencing sand hazards in the farming-pastoral ecotone. The dominant factors intensifying sand and dust storms in Taibus County might be related to the favorable wind condition in combination with the durable drought, which led to land desertification and vegetation degradation.

Sand transport in multiphase flow mixtures in a horizontal pipeline:An experimental investigation

An inherent problem with both oil and natural gas production is the deposition of sand particles in pipeline,which could lead to problems such as excessive pressure drops,equipment failure,pipeline erosion,and production decline.The characterization of sand particles transport and sedimentation in different flow systems such as sandemultiphase mixtures is vital to predict the sand transport velocity and entrainment processes in oil and gas transportation pipelines.However,it seems that no model exists able to accurately characterize the sand transport and deposition in multiphase pipeline.In fact,in the last decade several researchers tried to extend the modeling of liquid-solid flow to gas-liquid-solid flow,but no significant results have been obtained,especially in slug flow condition due to the complexity of the phenomenon.In order to develop and validate a mathematical model properly formulated for the calculation of the sand critical deposition velocity in gas-liquid flow,more and more experimental data are necessary.This paper presents a preliminary experimental study of three phase flows(air-water-sand)inside a horizontal pipe and the application of the sand-liquid models present in literature.Significant observations were made during the experimental study from which several conclusions were drawn.Different sand flow regimes were established by physical observation and data analysis:fully dispersed solid flow,moving dunes and stationary bed.The critical deposition velocities were determined at different sand concentrations.It was concluded that sand transport characteristics and the critical deposition velocity are strongly dependent on the gas-liquid flow regime and on sand concentration.

The varying fetch effect of aeolian sand transport above a gobi surface and its implication for gobi development process

The Gobi deserts are important landscapes and major sandstorm source areas in arid northwestern China.Unsaturated sand flow and decreasing sand supply capacity is well known as the basic characteristics of gobi surface,but relatively little attention has been paid to the fetch effect of sand transport which is closely related to sand supply and indicative of wind erosion process in gobi.Using a field experiment,we investigated the spatial and temporal variations on a manually disturbed gobi surface downwind a sand-blocking belt and a sand-fixing belt by measuring the sand transport rate and the height profile of flux density at different fetch lengths during a sequence of wind erosion events.Results showed that the sand supply capacity determined the critical fetch length(Lc)for the sand transport rate so that the fetch effect varied with wind erosion proceeding due to depletion of erodible material.The height profile of flux density above the surface followed two distributions:an exponential decrease with increasing height,which commonly occurred above the newly treated gobi surface during the early wind erosion events;or a Lorentzian distribution with a peak flux at a certain height,which often happened in the later wind erosion events.The varying fetch effect,decreasing sand transport rates,and the nonerodible area expanded downwind are an epitome of the gobi development and expansion process from the perspective of wind erosion.

The reverse sediment transport trend between abandoned Huanghe River(Yellow River) Delta and radial sand ridges along Jiangsu coastline of China——an evidence from grain size analysis

To reveal the sediment transporting mechanism between the abandoned Huanghe River （Yellow River） Delta and radial sand ridges, “End Member” Model and grain size trend analysis have been employed to separate the “dynamic populations” in the surficial sediment particle spectra and to determine the possible sediment transporting pathway. The results reveal four “dynamic subpopulations”（EM1 to EM4） and two reverse sediment transporting directions： a northward transport tend from the radial sand ridges to mud patch, and a southward transport trend in deep water area outside the mud patch. Combined with the published hydrodynamic information, the transporting mechanism of dynamic populations has been discussed, and the main conclusion is that the transporting of finer subpopulations EM1 and EM2 is controlled by the “anticlockwise residual current circulation” forming during tidal cycle, which favor a northward transporting trend and the forming of mud patch on the north of radial sand ridges, while the transporting of coarser EM3 is mainly controlled by wind driven drift in winter, which favors a southward transporting direction.

A transport-rate model of wind-blown sand

Sand transport by wind plays an important role in environmental problems.Formulating the sand-transport rate model has been of continuing significance,because the majority of the existing models relate sand-transport rate to the wind-shear velocity.However,the wind-shear velocity readapted to blown sand is difficult to determine from the measured wind profiles when sand movement occurs,especially at high wind velocity.Detailed wind tunnel tests were carried out to reformulate the sand-transport rate model,followed by attempts to relate sand-transport rate to parameters of wind velocity,threshold shear-velocity,and grain size.Finally,we validated the model based on the data from field observations.

Seismic behavior of tire waste-sand mixtures for transportation infrastructure in cold regions

Tire wastes have many properties that are valuable from a geotechnical engineering perspective, such as low density, high strength, thermal insulation, energy absorption capacity, permeability, durability, compressibility, resilience, and high frictional strength. Thus, tire wastes offer good thermal characteristics in resisting frost penetration and have good drainage characteristics, being as permeable as coarse granular soil for fill materials. The many advantages of tire wastes make the material suitable for transportation infrastructure construction in cold regions. Also, tire wastes with high damping prop- erty make them a preferable admixture with sand for transportation infrastructures in seismic regions, This study aimed to determine the seismic performance of certain tire waste-sand mixtures in cold regions. A 70% sand-30% tire crumb mixture by weight （TC30） with a very high damping property was selected for analysis as an engineering material for transportation infrastructure. Small-scale shake-table tests were conducted on this material as well as on a sand-only sample under two different temperatures, 0 ℃ and 20 ℃, to simulate cold-region and moderate-temperature performance, respectively. The 1999 lzmit Earthquake Excitation （EW） （Mw = 7.4） was taken as the input motion. Test results showed that the tire waste-sand mixture at 0 ℃ showed better seismic performance than that at room temperature, suggesting that a tire waste-sand mixture in cold regions may reduce seismic hazards to infrastructure.

Numerical Simulation of Hydraulic Transport of Sand-Water Mixtures in Pipelines

The development of empirical model for the hydraulic transport of sand-water mixtures is important for the design of economical solid-liquid transportation system in chemical and waste-disposal industries. The hydraulic transport characteristics of sand-water mixtures in circular pipelines are numerically investigated by using the FLUENT commercial software. Eulerian granular multiphase (EGM) model with the k-e turbulent model is used for the computation. Present method is validated by the computed values with the measured data. The effect of the concentration and pipe sizes on the relative solid effect is numerically investigated. It is found that the effect of the volumetric delivered concentration on both hydraulic gradient and solid effect increases as the Reynolds number decreases. When the Reynolds number is small, the increase in the volumetric delivered concentration has an effect of decreasing the hydraulic gradient whereas the solid effect increases with the volumetric delivered concentration stepping up. The effect of the pipe diameter is not the critical parameter for deciding the values of the relative solid effect in the sand-water mixture transportation.

珊瑚礁海岸沉积物输运及珊瑚砂岛演变研究综述

珊瑚礁海岸沉积物的输运及珊瑚砂岛的演变研究在我国起步较晚,同时南中国海的珊瑚砂岛是我国重要的海洋空间资源,涉及国家领土主权的核心利益,开展这方面研究具有重要的学术价值和现实意义。综合分析了推移质和悬移质碳酸盐沉积物输运过程及其影响因素,重点介绍了短波、低频长波和海流对沉积物输运的驱动机制,以及粗糙珊瑚对沉积物的遮蔽效应。总结分析了珊瑚砂岛的动态演变规律及其影响因素,并重点介绍了珊瑚砂岛在长期海平面上升和短期风暴潮增强时的演变规律,并提出了今后研究需要关注的方向。

烟台港龙口港区27^(#)~29^(#)通用泊位疏浚工程绞吸船施工工艺优化

烟台港龙口港区27^(#)~29^(#)通用泊位疏浚工程土质主要为起球的黏性土,混有少量粗砂,绞吸船在施工时受黏土起球及黏性等影响,容易出现堵管、绞刀糊堵、输送困难等情况,施工作业关键参数波动幅度较大,作业人员操作控制难度高,平均生产效率低。重点围绕绞吸船的挖掘和输送分析,确定关键施工参数,优化施工工艺,指导作业人员施工。优化后的施工工艺使烟台港龙口港区27^(#)~29^(#)通用泊位疏浚工程绞吸船施工产能提高20%以上,节约了施工成本。

Near-surface sand-dust horizontal flux in Tazhong-the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert

Tazhong is the hinterland and a sandstorm high-frequency area of the Taklimakan Desert. However, little is known about the detailed time-series of aeolian sand transport in this area. An experiment to study the sand-dust horizontal flux of near-surface was carried out in Tazhong from January to December 2009. By measur- ing the sand-dust horizontal flux throughout sixteen sand-dust weather processes with a 200-cm tall Big Spring Number Eight （BSNE） sampler tower, we quantitatively analyzed the vertical variation of the sand-dust horizontal flux. And the total sand-dust horizontal flux of different time-series that passed through a section of 100 cm in width and 200 cm in height was estimated combining the data of saltation movement continuously recorded by piezo- electric saltation sensors （Sensit）. The results indicated that, in the surface layer ranging from 0-200 cm, the inten- sity of sand-dust horizontal flux decreased with the increase of the height, and the physical quantities obeyed power function well. The total sand-dust horizontal flux of the sixteen sand-dust weather processes that passed through a section of 100 cm in width and 200 cm in height was about 2,144.9 kg, the maximum of one sand-dust weather event was about 396.3 kg, and the annual total sand-dust horizontal flux was about 3,903.2 kg. The high levels of aeolian sand transport occurred during daytime, especially from 13：00 to 16：00 in the afternoon. We try to develop a new method for estimation of the detailed time-series of aeolian sand transport.

双排高立式尼龙网阻沙障与草方格固沙障的优化配置及防沙效益

[目的]针对双排高立式尼龙网阻沙障与草方格固沙障联合应用,开展风洞试验研究,以优化联合沙障中尼龙网阻沙障孔隙度配置及探究各孔隙度下联合沙障的防沙效益。[方法]基于风洞模拟试验数据,开展不同孔隙度(40%,45%,55%)联合沙障,在不同风速下的风速流场、空气动力学粗糙度、摩阻风速、输沙率随高度和阻沙率方面的变化特征研究。[结果](1)相同风速下尼龙网阻沙障孔隙度40%时,联合沙障弱风区面积最大;(2)随着尼龙网阻沙障孔隙度的增大,空气动力学粗糙度和摩阻风速减小,相同风速和相同位置时,40%孔隙度下联合沙障空气动力学粗糙度和摩阻风速值最大;(3)风速增加地表输沙率也增加,联合沙障内部与背风侧输沙率随高度增加呈指数型递减,输沙主要集中在0~12 cm高度内;(4)风速大小与沙障阻沙率呈现负相关变化;阻沙率与孔隙度之间也呈负相关关系,孔隙度为40%的联合沙障具有较高阻沙率;双排高立式尼龙网阻沙措施与草方格固沙措施联合之间还存在阻沙率叠加。[结论]40%孔隙度的双排高立式尼龙网和草方格的阻固联合可以实现较优的配置与防沙效益。

放牧干扰下荒漠草原植物功能群数量特征与输沙量的关系

[目的]分析放牧干扰下草地群落及功能群数量特征变化与草地土壤风蚀间的关系,阐明草地不同功能群对草地侵蚀过程的影响,为荒漠草原合理放牧利用及保护提供理论依据。[方法]以内蒙古短花针茅荒漠草原为研究对象,采取完全随机试验设计设置对照、中度和重度3个不同的放牧处理,对不同处理下的草地输沙量和功能群特征进行研究。[结果]①随放牧强度增加,各功能群内物种高度、盖度和地上生物量基本呈下降态势。适当放牧能显著提高Simpson优势度指数和Shannon-Wiener多样性指数。②各放牧处理间的草地输沙量差异显著,不同输沙高度处的草地输沙量变化规律均为HG>MG>CK,同一放牧处理下,随输沙高度上升输沙率显著降低。③各功能群高度、盖度与输沙量均存在指数负相关关系,其中多年生禾草和多年生杂类草的高度变化对输沙量的影响更显著。各功能群的地上生物量与输沙量存在负相关指数关系,其中多年生禾草的生物量与输沙量的拟合程度最高。[结论]过度放牧会显著影响功能群特征并降低草地的防风固沙能力,建议放牧强度控制在中度及以下。

The modern change and evolution tendency of sand coast in the eastern area of Liaodong Gulf

In studying sand beach erosion and protection tactics in Liaoning Province, the authors calculated the wavedata of 27 a Period (1963-1991) at Bayuquan Observation Station in Liaodong Gulf. Together with the beach levellingsand some simple marking stakes monitoring and by having the aid of local annals, the paper analysed the present situationsof the coastline and the causes of sand coastal recession and serious consequences, and then discussed the dynamic processof alongshore sand transport. Simultaneously, based on alongshore sand transport model, oneline cut-and-fill theory anddynamical water model(sea level rise), the authors preliminary estimated beach process for the future in the area.Recently, the coastline is being eroded and 2/3 of the sand coast is subjected to erosion, which the recession rate ofthe individual sector exceed 7. 0 m/a. Coastal erosion has threatened villages, roads, factories and tourist resources. Sealevel rises and the decreasing amount of materials by rivers discharged into the sea and the activities of man, made coast line recession rate accelerate, and cause a great loss of land in the area.

Sand flux estimation during a sand-dust storm at Tazhong area of Taklimakan Desert, China

In this paper, the sand transport during a sand-dust storm in the Tazhong area of the central Taklimakan Desert from 11：29 to 23：56 on July 19, 2008 was observed and measured in real time. The sand flux at Tazhong was estimated using sand transport empirical formulas. The critical friction velocity at Tazhong was 0.24 m/s and the functional relation between the wind speed and sediment discharge at the height of 2 m was established. It was also found that the calculated values by Lettau＇s sediment discharge formula were close to those of the instrument measurements. The horizontal sand flux and the vertical sand flux during this sand-dust storm at Tazhong were respectively 258.67×10-4 kg/（m·s） and 40.07×10-7 kg/（m2·s）.

Effects of gravel mulch on aeolian transport:a field wind tunnel simulation

The shape,size and coverage of gravels have significant impacts on aeolian sand transport.This study provided an understanding of aeolian transport over the gravel mulching surfaces at different wind velocities by means of a mobile wind tunnel simulation.The tested gravel coverage increased from 5% to 80%,with a progressive increment of 5%.The gravels used in the experiments have three sizes in diameter.Wind velocities were measured using 10 sand-proof pitot-static probes,and mean velocity fields were obtained and discussed.The results showed that mean velocity fields obtained over different gravel mulches were similar.The analysis of wind speed patterns revealed an inherent link between gravel mulches and mean airflow characteristics on the gravel surfaces.The optimal gravel coverage is considered to be the critical level above or below which aeolian transport characteristics differ strongly.According to the present study,the optimal gravel coverage was found to be around 30% or 40%.Threshold velocity linearly increased with gravel coverage.Sand transport rate first increased with height above the wind tunnel floor（Hf）,reaching a peak at some midpoint,and then decreased.

A wind tunnel investigation on the transverse motion of aeolian sand

A wind tunnel experiment was performed to investigate aeolian grain motions in the transverse direction, which is perpendicular to the incoming flow and parallels the sand bed. The trajectories in the horizontal plane were recorded by high-speed camera. Statistical analysis of 630 trajectories shows that both the motion orientation and the time-averaged speed follow Gaussian distributions. An exclusive method was used to analyze the driving mechanism. It was concluded that the three-dimensional turbulent air flow, rather than the spin of grain or grain-bed collisions, controls the transverse motion.