Experimental study on the energy dissipation characteristics of debris flow deceleration baffles.

Debris flow can cause serious damages to roads, bridges, buildings and other infrastructures. Arranging several rows of deceleration baffles in the flow path can reduce the flow velocity and ensure better protection of life and property. In debris flow prevention projects, deceleration baffles can effectively reduce the erosion of the debris flow and prolong the running time of the drainage channel. This study investigated the degree to which a 6 m long flume and three rows of deceleration baffles reduce the debris flow velocity and affect the energy dissipation characteristics. The influential variables include channel slope, debris flow density, and spacing between baffle rows. The experimental results demonstrated that the typical flow pattern was a sudden increase in flow depth and vertical proliferation when debris flow flows through the baffles. Strong turbulence between debris flow and baffles can contribute to energy dissipation and decrease the kinematic velocity considerably. The results showed that the reduction ratio of velocity increased with the increase in debris flow density, channel slope and spacing between rows. Tests phenomena also indicated that debris flow density has significant influence on the mobility and deposition characteristic of debris flow. The deposit amount first increased then decreased when the flow density rises, and the deposit amount of debris flow density of 1500 kg/m reached the maximum when the experimental flume slope is 12°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]