Project description
A closer look at landslides that run out long distances
A single rock cannot travel farther than the height from which it fell. This is based on a simple energy balance argument. However, many landslide runouts extend their ruin to seemingly safe distances far removed from their origin. Scientists are still studying these long runout landslides. Understanding how and when long runouts occur will assist in hazard mitigation and prediction. Recently, researchers have experimented by using idealised 2D simulations of circular disks and provided support for the mechanism of ‘acoustic fluidisation’. However, more work is needed to show that this mechanism is a feature of real 3D flows and robust for a range of conditions. In this context, the EU-funded kelbus2 project will perform laboratory experiments and 3D simulations of granular flows using simultaneous pressure and velocity measurements.
Objective
Landslides, the violent motion of large masses of debris, rock or snow, are an ever-present danger in mountainous regions the world over. After the landslide material falls down the mountainside, it will run out some distance away from the mountain even on relatively flat surfaces until the energy it gained from falling is dissipated by friction with the terrain. Although a simple energy balance argument suggests that a single rock cannot travel farther than the height from which it fell, many landslide runouts extend their ruin to seemingly safe distances far removed from their origin. These long runout landslides have baffled scientists for over a century, ever since Albert Heim recorded his study of the Elm rock landslide that devastated the village of Elm, Switzerland in 1881. There are many explanations for this phenomenon, such as lubrication by an interstitial fluid, but none of these satisfactorily addresses how a completely dry landslide can run out so far. Not understanding how and when long runouts will occur makes hazard mitigation and prediction extremely difficult, highlighting the urgency of this issue. Recently, Melosh and coworkers have provided support for a mechanism borrowed from the fluidization of impact craters, “acoustic fluidization”, by using idealized 2D simulations of circular disks, but more work is needed to show that this mechanism is a feature of real 3D flows and robust for a range of conditions. We will perform laboratory experiments and fully 3D simulations of granular flows using simultaneous pressure and velocity measurements to test the acoustic fluidization hypothesis. We will also look for a crossover between this dry mechanism and the lubrication mechanisms for wet landslides. Besides application to landslide engineering, we will also explore for the first time how fundamental features of granular flows such as shear flow instabilities (clustering and longitudinal stripes) affect the rheology of landslides and long runouts.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
33000 BORDEAUX
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.