Bringing granular mechanics to prevent fluid-driven soil erosion problems

该项目旨在通过探索不断变化的地形与地表水流之间的相互作用来研究土壤的侵蚀行为。它期望通过创新的高速X射线成像和详细的数值模拟，在不同的流动条件下产生关于主导颗粒机制的新知识。预期成果包括一个简单的数学框架，考虑到这些重要因素，这将桥梁地质力学和流体力学提供宝贵的洞察长期侵蚀和沉积速率。这将通过提高我们的预测能力，从而防止严重的土壤流失或有问题的沉积物积累，带来巨大的好处。

This project aims to investigate the erosive behaviour of soils by exploring the interaction between evolving topography and overland water flow. It expects to generate new knowledge about the dominant granular mechanisms under different flow conditions using innovative high-speed X-ray imaging and detailed numerical simulations. Anticipated outcomes include a simple mathematical framework that takes these important factors into account, which will bridge geomechanics and fluid mechanics to provide valuable insight into long-term erosion and deposition rates. This should provide significant benefit by enhancing our ability to predict, and therefore prevent, intense soil loss or problematic build-up of sediment.