A numerical model of the evolution of sand saltation with consideration of two feedback mechanisms.
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.
Key Laboratory of Mechanics on Western Disaster and Environment in China, Ministry of Education, 730000, Lanzhou, China.
Shan
S
Ren
Ning
N
Huang
D000388:Air; D000465:Algorithms; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D017276:Friction; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010316:Particle Size; D012492:Salts / Q000737:chemistry*; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D013997:Time Factors; D014919:Wind
D012492:Salts; D012822:Silicon Dioxide