https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2010-10681-4
Regular Article
A numerical model of the evolution of sand saltation with consideration of two feedback mechanisms
1
Key Laboratory of Mechanics on Western Disaster and Environment in China, Ministry of Education, 730000, Lanzhou, China
2
Department of Mechanics, Lanzhou University, 730000, Lanzhou, China
* e-mail: huangn@lzu.edu.cn
Received:
2
August
2010
Accepted:
17
November
2010
Published online:
30
November
2010
Saltation is one of the important transport modes in the movement of wind-blown grains. Its evolution was considered to be a wind-particle self-regulating process. Recent researches indicate that the particle mid-air collision greatly influences the sand movement, thus the mid-air collision mechanism may highly contribute to the evolution of wind-sand flow. A theoretical model is suggested to mathematically describe the evolution of wind-sand flow by considering the exiting wind-particle feedback mechanism as well as the particle mid-air collision mechanism. Based on this model, the time of the entire process to reach a steady state, the variation curves of the sand transport rate with time and the mid-air collision probability with time are calculated. The results show that the mid-air collision mechanism also contributes significantly to the stabilization of the saltation process.
© EDP Sciences, SIF, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2010