Collapse of wet granular columns: experiments and discrete element simulations

Abstract

This work aims at investigating the effect of triggering and jamming due to the addition of a small quantity of fluid to the material. Collapse of dry and wet granular columns is studied both from the experimental and the numerical point of view. Wet samples of glass beads of different grain-sizes in the pendular state were packed in a rectangular box and then allowed to flow by removing a lateral wall. The dependence of the kinematics and the final state of the system on grain size and water content was particularly investigated. DEM numerical simulations were carried out in a 1:1 scale. A good qualitative agreement between experiments and DEM simulations was found with respect to the kinematic and the final slope profile. In particular, both the techniques highlight the strong effect of the liquid which decreases the run-out distance and time even for small liquid contents. This work demonstrates the suitability of the DEM approach also for the study of wet granular materials in static as well as in dynamic conditions, however it highlights that the water redistribution model is critical for the model outcome.