Development of a Submarine Gravity Flow Modelling Device in Beam Centrifuge
Development of a Submarine Gravity Flow Modelling Device in Beam Centrifuge
Submarine gravity flows, among Earth's largest landslide events, play a vital role in sediment transport and submarine geological evolution while posing significant risks to offshore infrastructures. This study presents a novel centrifuge device capable of simulating the transportation of gravity flows and their erosion effects on seabed sediments. Serving as the pre-research device of the "Wave, Tsunami, and Gravity Flow Modelling Device" within Chinas major scientific and technological infrastructure facility "Centrifugal Hypergravity and Interdisciplinary Experiment Facility (CHIEF)", it incorporates a double-gate release system for the rapid discharge of gravity flow slurry. Scaling laws governing flow dynamics and seabed erosion were summarised. A multiphase numerical model was established to validate the scaling laws and investigate the modelled flow velocity, and flow regime, etc. Validation tests under both normal gravity and hypergravity conditions were conducted. The responses of pore pressure and soil pressure in the seabed were experimentally investigated, and the observed flow characteristics showed good agreement with numerical simulations. This device proves effective in modelling gravity flows with key parameters, i.e., velocity and height of flow head, comparable to those observed in the field.
Xingchao Chen; Junhong Tan; Zhenyi Li; Bin Zhu; Deqiong Kong
11th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG2026)
Session 1: New facilities, new equipment, and measuring techniques
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICPMG2026-155