Experimental Analysis of Granular Flow Behavior for Sustainable Landslide Risk Management and Community Resilience

Abstract

Sustainable landslide risk management is critical for achieving resilient communities and supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in vulnerable mountainous regions of developing countries. This study presents experimental evidence supporting dimensionless analysis approaches for characterizing granular flow behavior, contributing to cost-effective landslide hazard assessment frameworks. We designed a 4 m experimental flume to investigate the influence of particle characteristics on flow velocity and runout distance, using two materials with contrasting shapes but similar density (~460 kg/m3) and nominal size (~5 mm): uniform crystal beads (φ = 25.2°) and non-uniform crushed granite particles (φ = 36.9°). High-resolution imaging (30 fps, 2336 × 1752 pixels) captured 30 flow experiments from initiation to deposition. Results demonstrate significant differences in flow behavior: crystal beads achieved 50% longer runout distances and 46% higher maximum velocities (380 cm/s vs. 260 cm/s) compared to granite particles. The Savage number (𝑁𝑠𝑎𝑣 ) effectively captured fundamental flow-regime differences, with granite particles exhibiting values seven times lower than crystal beads (3.69 vs. 23.91, p < 0.001), indicating greater frictional energy dissipation relative to collisional energy transfer. The Bagnold number confirmed inertially dominated regimes (𝑁𝐵𝑎𝑔 > 106) with negligible viscous effects in both materials. These findings demonstrate that accessible material characterization using standard triaxial testing and dimensionless analysis can significantly improve landslide runout prediction accuracy, supporting evidence-based decision-making for sustainable territorial planning and community protection. This research supports the development of practical risk assessment methodologies implementable in resource-limited settings, promoting sustainable development through improved natural hazard management.