Investigating flow-barrier impact mechanisms using two soil types in centrifuge tests
Investigating flow-barrier impact mechanisms using two soil types in centrifuge tests
Propagation-impact experiments were conducted in a beam centrifuge at 40g-level. A saturated soil mass was released, propagated along an instrumented slope, and finally impacted against a barrier. The tests performed against a fixed steel barrier provide a baseline for understanding the influence of soil type on impact forces and the interaction mechanism. A significant finding emerges from the comparison between the two soil types: the peak impact pressure measured directly on the rigid barrier is consistently higher for the uniform Baskarp sand compared to a finer-grained, poorly graded volcanic natural soil. This suggests that the grain size distribution plays a direct role in the mechanism of stress transmission upon impact against a rigid structure.
Sabatino Cuomo; Angela Di Perna; Mariagiovanna Moscariello; Rita Ciaglia; Mario Martinelli; Nicoletta Nappo; John Langstraat; Frans Cop; Suzanne Van Eekelen
11th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG2026)
Special Session 1: Physical modelling – from Practice/Industry to Academia
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICPMG2026-426