arXiv subjects

Thomas Pähtz

Publications and source records attributed to Thomas Pähtz.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Fluid-particle interaction regimes during the evolution of turbidity currents from a coupled LES/DEM model

In this paper, fluid-particle interactions in lock-exchange turbidity currents (TCs) over a flat bed are investigated using a model combining LES and DEM (Large-Eddy Simulation and Discrete Element Method). The reliability of this model is demonstrated via comparing the numerical solutions with measurements of the front positions, fluid velocity profile, and particle concentration profile of lock-exchange TCs. The following physical understandings are obtained. The vorticity field plays an important role for the current evolution by affecting the fluid lift force (i.e., in the direction normal to the fluid-particle slip velocity) acting on the particles. At the very beginning, a longitudinal positive lift force due to strong positive vorticity promotes longitudinal particle transport. Afterwards, the longitudinal lift force decreases and eventually becomes negative, with a magnitude that even exceeds that of the positive longitudinal drag force, because more and more of the settling particles are affected by the negative vorticity near the bottom wall caused by surface friction. Interestingly, in spite of the complex behavior of the fluid-particle interaction forces and their role in TC evolution, only a very small fraction of the initial particle gravitational potential energy is actually transformed into TC kinetic energy (both particle and fluid).

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Aeolian sand transport: Scaling of mean saltation length and height and implications for mass flux scaling

Wind tunnel measurements of the mean saltation length $L$ and of different proxies of the mean saltation height $H$ in saturated aeolian sand transport indicate that $L$ and $H$ are relatively insensitive to both the wind speed and grain diameter $d$. The latter result is currently unexplained and contradicts the theoretical prediction $L\propto H\propto d$. This prediction is based on the assumption that the characteristic velocity $\sqrt{\tilde gd}$ of bed grains ejected by the splash of an impacting grain controls the average saltation kinematics. Here, we show that a recent analytical saltation model that considers only rebounds of saltating grains, but neglects splash ejection, is consistent with the measurements. The model suggests that the buffer layer of the inner turbulent boundary layer, which connects the viscous sublayer with the log-layer, is partially responsible for the insensitivity of $L$ and $H$ to $d$. In combination, the measurements and model therefore indicate that splash ejection, though important to sustain saltation, does not significantly affect the average saltation kinematics. This finding represents a strong argument against the Ungar and Haff (1987)-scaling and in favor of the Durán et al. (2011)-scaling of the saturated saltation mass flux, with implications for ripple formation on Mars. Furthermore, it supports the recent controversial claim that this flux is insensitive to soil cohesion.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Unified model of sediment transport threshold and rate across weak and intense subaqueous bedload, windblown sand, and windblown snow

Nonsuspended sediment transport (NST) refers to the sediment transport regime in which the flow turbulence is unable to support the weight of transported grains. It occurs in fluvial environments (i.e., driven by a stream of liquid) and in aeolian environments (i.e., wind-blown) and plays a key role in shaping sedimentary landscapes of planetary bodies. NST is a highly fluctuating physical process because of turbulence, surface inhomogeneities, and variations of grain size and shape and packing geometry. Furthermore, the energy of transported grains varies strongly due to variations of their flow exposure duration since their entrainment from the bed. In spite of such variability, we here propose a deterministic model that represents the entire grain motion, including grains that roll and/or slide along the bed, by a periodic saltation motion with rebound laws that describe an average rebound of a grain after colliding with the bed. The model simultaneously captures laboratory and field measurements and discrete element method (DEM)-based numerical simulations of the threshold and rate of equilibrium NST within a factor of about 2, unifying weak and intense transport conditions in oil, water, and air (oil only for threshold). The model parameters have not been adjusted to these measurements but determined from independent data sets. Recent DEM-based numerical simulations (Comola, Gaume, et al., 2019, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL082195) suggest that equilibrium aeolian NST on Earth is insensitive to the strength of cohesive bonds between bed grains. Consistently, the model captures cohesive windblown sand and windblown snow conditions despite not explicitly accounting for cohesion.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2020

Unification of Aeolian and Fluvial Sediment Transport Rate from Granular Physics

One of the physically least understood characteristics of geophysical transport of sediments along sediment surfaces is the well known experimental observation that the sediment transport rate $Q$ is linearly dependent on the fluid shear stress $τ$ applied onto the surface in air, but is nonlinearly dependent on $τ$ in water. Using transport simulations for a wide range of driving conditions, we show that the scaling depends on the manner in which the kinetic fluctuation energy of transported particles is dissipated: via predominantly fluid drag and quasistatic contacts (linear) versus fluid drag and quasistatic and collisional contacts (nonlinear). We use this finding to derive a scaling law (asymptotically $Q\simτ^2$) in simultaneous agreement with measurements in water and air streams.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2020

The physics of sediment transport initiation, cessation, and entrainment across aeolian and fluvial environments

Predicting the morphodynamics of sedimentary landscapes due to fluvial and aeolian flows requires answering the following questions: Is the flow strong enough to initiate sediment transport, is the flow strong enough to sustain sediment transport once initiated, and how much sediment is transported by the flow in the saturated state (i.e., what is the transport capacity)? In the geomorphological and related literature, the widespread consensus has been that the initiation, cessation, and capacity of fluvial transport, and the initiation of aeolian transport, are controlled by fluid entrainment of bed sediment caused by flow forces overcoming local resisting forces, whereas aeolian transport cessation and capacity are controlled by impact entrainment caused by the impacts of transported particles with the bed. Here the physics of sediment transport initiation, cessation, and capacity is reviewed with emphasis on recent consensus-challenging developments in sediment transport experiments, two-phase flow modeling, and the incorporation of granular physics' concepts. Highlighted are the similarities between dense granular flows and sediment transport, such as a superslow granular motion known as creeping (which occurs for arbitrarily weak driving flows) and system-spanning force networks that resist bed sediment entrainment; the roles of the magnitude and duration of turbulent fluctuation events in fluid entrainment; the traditionally overlooked role of particle-bed impacts in triggering entrainment events in fluvial transport; and the common physical underpinning of transport thresholds across aeolian and fluvial environments. This sheds a new light on the well-known Shields diagram, where measurements of fluid entrainment thresholds could actually correspond to entrainment-independent cessation thresholds.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2019

Large Effects of Particle Size Heterogeneity on Dynamic Saltation Threshold

Reliably predicting the geomorphology and climate of planetary bodies requires knowledge of the dynamic threshold wind shear velocity below which saltation transport ceases. Here we measure this threshold in a wind tunnel for four well-sorted and two poorly sorted sand beds by visual means and by a method that exploits a regime shift in the behavior of the surface roughness caused by momentum transfer from the wind to the saltating particles. For our poorly sorted sands, we find that these measurement methods yield different threshold values because, at the smaller visual threshold, relatively coarse particles do not participate in saltation. We further find that both methods yield threshold values that are much larger (60--250\%) for our poorly sorted sands than for our well-sorted sands with similar median particle diameter. In particular, even a rescaling of the dynamic saltation threshold based on the 90th percentile particle diameter rather than the median diameter cannot fully capture this difference, suggesting that relatively very coarse particles have a considerable control on the dynamic threshold. Similar findings were previously reported for water-driven sediment transport. Our findings have important implications for quantitative predictions of saltation transport-related geophysical processes, such as dust aerosol emission.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2019

The effect of turbulence on drifting snow sublimation

Sublimation of drifting snow, which is significant for the balances of mass and energy of the polar ice sheet, is a complex physical process with intercoupling between ice crystals, wind field, temperature, and moisture. Here a three-dimensional drifting snow sublimation model in a turbulent boundary layer is proposed. In contrast to most previous models, it takes into account turbulent diffusion of moisture from lower to higher elevations, allowing the air humidity near the surface to be undersaturated and thus sublimation to occur. From simulations with this model, we find that snow sublimation in the saltation layer near the surface dominates overall snow sublimation, despite an only marginal departure from humidity saturation ($<1\%$), because of a large particle concentration.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2019

Local Rheology Relation with Variable Yield Stress Ratio across Dry, Wet, Dense, and Dilute Granular Flows

Dry, wet, dense, and dilute granular flows have been previously considered fundamentally different and thus described by distinct, and in many cases incompatible, rheologies. We carry out extensive simulations of granular flows, including wet and dry conditions, various geometries and driving mechanisms (boundary driven, fluid driven, and gravity driven), many of which are not captured by standard rheology models. For all simulated conditions, except for fluid-driven and gravity-driven flows close to the flow threshold, we find that the Mohr-Coulomb friction coefficient $μ$ scales with the square root of the local Péclet number $\mathrm{Pe}$ provided that the particle diameter exceeds the particle mean free path. With decreasing $\mathrm{Pe}$ and granular temperature gradient $M$, this general scaling breaks down, leading to a yield condition with a variable yield stress ratio characterized by $M$.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2018

Comment on "Distinct Thresholds for the Initiation and Cessation of Aeolian Saltation From Field Measurements" by Raleigh L. Martin and Jasper F. Kok: Alternative Interpretation of Measured Thresholds as two Distinct Cessation Thresholds

Martin and Kok (2018a) measured two distinct aeolian saltation transport thresholds: a larger threshold below which continuous saltation transport becomes intermittent and a smaller threshold below which intermittent saltation transport ceases. In the spirit of Bagnold, they interpreted the former threshold as the \textit{fluid threshold}, associated with transport initiation, and the latter threshold as the \textit{impact threshold}, associated with transport cessation. Here I describe and support an alternative interpretation of these two thresholds as two distinct cessation thresholds associated with splash entrainment and, respectively, with compensating energy losses of rebounding particles. This interpretation was recently proposed by Pähtz and Durán (2018a). To resolve this controversy, further field studies are needed.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2018

Universal friction law at granular solid-gas transition explains scaling of sediment transport load with excess fluid shear stress

A key interest in geomorphology is to predict how the shear stress $τ$ exerted by a turbulent flow of air or liquid onto an erodible sediment bed affects the transport load $M\tilde g$ (i.e., the submerged weight of transported nonsuspended sediment per unit area) and its average velocity when exceeding the sediment transport threshold $τ_t$. Most transport rate predictions in the literature are based on the scaling $M\tilde g\proptoτ-τ_t$, the physical origin of which, however, has remained controversial. Here we test the universality and study the origin of this scaling law using particle-scale simulations of nonsuspended sediment transport driven by a large range of Newtonian fluids. We find that the scaling coefficient is a universal approximate constant and can be understood as an inverse granular friction coefficient (i.e., the ratio between granular shear stress and normal-bed pressure) evaluated at the base of the transport layer (i.e., the effective elevation of energetic particle-bed rebounds). Usually, the granular flow at this base is gaslike and rapidly turns into the solidlike granular bed underneath: a liquidlike regime does not necessarily exist, which is accentuated by a nonlocal granular flow rheology in both the transport layer and bed. Hence, this transition fundamentally differs from the solid-liquid transition (i.e., yielding) in dense granular flows even though both transitions are described by a friction law. Combining this result with recent insights into the nature of $τ_t$, we conclude that the transport load scaling is a signature of a steady rebound state and unrelated to entrainment of bed sediment.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2018

The Critical Role of the Boundary Layer Thickness for the Initiation of Aeolian Sediment Transport

Here, we propose a conceptual framework of Aeolian sediment transport initiation that includes the role of turbulence. Upon increasing the wind shear stress $τ$ above a threshold value $τ^\prime_t$, particles resting at the bed surface begin to rock in their pockets because the largest turbulent fluctuations of the instantaneous wind velocity above its mean value $\overline{u}$ induce fluid torques that exceed resisting torques. Upon a slight further increase of $τ$, rocking turns into a rolling regime (i.e., rolling threshold $τ_t\simeqτ^\prime_t$) provided that the ratio between the integral time scale $T_i\proptoδ/\overline{u}$ (where $δ$ is the boundary layer thickness) and the time $T_e\propto\sqrt{d/[(1-1/s)g]}$ required for entrainment (where $d$ is the particle diameter and $s$ the particle-air-density ratio) is sufficiently large. Rolling then evolves into mean-wind-sustained saltation transport provided that the mean wind is able to compensate energy losses from particle-bed rebounds. However, when $T_i/T_e$ is too small, the threshold ratio scales as $τ_t/τ^\prime_t\propto{T}_e/T_i\propto{s}d^2/δ^2$, consistent with experiments. Because $δ/d$ controls $T_i/T_e$ and the relative amplitude of turbulent wind velocity fluctuations, we qualitatively predict that Aeolian sediment transport in natural atmospheres can be initiated under weaker (potentially much weaker) winds than in wind tunnels, consistent with indirect observational evidence on Earth and Mars.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2018

The Cessation Threshold of Nonsuspended Sediment Transport Across Aeolian and Fluvial Environments

Using particle-scale simulations of non-suspended sediment transport for a large range of Newtonian fluids driving transport, including air and water, we determine the bulk transport cessation threshold $Θ^r_t$ by extrapolating the transport load as a function of the dimensionless fluid shear stress (`Shields number') $Θ$ to the vanishing transport limit. In this limit, the simulated steady states of continuous transport can be described by simple analytical model equations relating the average transport layer properties to the law of the wall flow velocity profile. We use this model to calculate $Θ^r_t$ for arbitrary environments and derive a general Shields-like threshold diagram in which a Stokes-like number replaces the particle Reynolds number. Despite the simplicity of our hydrodynamic description, the predicted cessation threshold, both from the simulations and analytical model, quantitatively agrees with measurements for transport in air and viscous and turbulent liquids despite not being fitted to these measurements. We interpret the analytical model as a description of a continuous rebound motion of transported particles and thus $Θ^r_t$ as the minimal fluid shear stress needed to compensate the average energy loss of transported particles during an average rebound at the bed surface. This interpretation, supported by simulations near $Θ^r_t$, implies that entrainment mechanisms are needed to sustain transport above $Θ^r_t$. While entrainment by turbulent events sustains intermittent transport, entrainment by particle-bed impacts sustains continuous transport. Combining our interpretations with the critical energy criterion for incipient motion by Valyrakis and coworkers, we put forward a new conceptual picture of sediment transport intermittency.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2018

Front Velocity and Front Location of Lock-exchange Gravity Currents Descending a Slope in a Linearly Stratified Environment

Gravity currents descending a slope in a linearly stratified environment can be frequently encountered in nature. However, few studies have quantitatively investigated the evolution process of lock-exchange gravity currents in such environments. A new set of analytical formulae is proposed by integrating both mass conservation and linear momentum equations to determine the front velocity and the front location of a downslope current. Based on the thermal theory, the formula considers the influence of ambient stratification by introducing a newly defined stratification coefficient in the acceleration stage. As for the deceleration stage, the formula is derived by adding a parameter that takes into account the density distribution of the ambient water. The transition point between the acceleration and deceleration stages and the maximum front velocity are also determined by the proposed formulae. Lock-exchange gravity current experiments are conducted in the flume with linear stratifications to provide data for the validation of the formulae. The comparisons between the calculated and measured data in terms of front location and front velocity show satisfactory agreements, which reveal that front velocity presents a rapid acceleration stage and then a deceleration stage in a linearly stratified ambient.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2017

Fluid forces or impacts: What governs the entrainment of soil particles in sediment transport mediated by a Newtonian fluid?

In steady sediment transport, sediment deposition is balanced by entrainment of bed particles by fluid forces or particle-bed impacts. Here we propose a proxy to determine the role of impact entrainment relative to entrainment by the mean turbulent flow: the "bed velocity" $V_b$, which is an effective near-bed-surface value of the average horizontal particle velocity that generalizes the classical slip velocity, used in studies of aeolian saltation transport, to sediment transport in an arbitrary Newtonian fluid. We study $V_b$ for a wide range of the particle-fluid-density ratio $s$, Galileo number $\mathrm{Ga}$, and Shields number $Θ$ using direct sediment transport simulations. We find that transport is fully sustained through impact entrainment (i.e., $V_b$ is constant in natural units) when the "impact number" $\mathrm{Im}=\mathrm{Ga}\sqrt{s+0.5}\gtrsim20$ or $Θ\gtrsim5/\mathrm{Im}$. These conditions are obeyed for the vast majority of transport regimes, including steady turbulent bedload, which has long been thought to be sustained solely through fluid entrainment. In fact, we find that transport is fully sustained through fluid entrainment (i.e., $V_b$ scales with the near-bed horizontal fluid velocity) only for sufficiently viscous bedload transport at grain scale (i.e., for $\mathrm{Im}\lesssim20$ and $Θ\lesssim1/\mathrm{Im}$). Finally, we do not find a strong correlation between, $V_b$, or the classical slip velocity, and the transport-layer-averaged horizontal particle velocity $\overline{v_x}$, which challenges the long-standing consensus that predominant impact entrainment is responsible for a linear scaling of the transport rate with $Θ$. For turbulent bedload in particular, $\overline{v_x}$ increases with $Θ$ despite $V_b$ remaining constant, which we propose is linked to the formation of a liquid-like bed on top of the static-bed surface.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2016

Limitations of empirical sediment transport formulas for shallow water and their consequences for swash zone modelling

Volumetric sediment concentrations computed by phase-resolving swash morphodynamic models are shown to exceed unity minus porosity (i.e. the maximal physically possible concentration value) by up to factor of $10^5$ when using standard expressions to compute the sediment transport rate. An ad hoc limit of sediment concentration is introduced as a means to evaluate consequences of exceeding physically realistic concentration by standard expressions. We find that implementation of this ad hoc limit strongly changes the quantitative and qualitative predictions of phase-resolving swash morphodynamic models, suggesting that existing swash predictions are unreliable. This is because standard expressions inappropriately consider or ignore the fact that the shallow swash water depth limits the storage capacity of transported sediment.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2015

Why do Particle Clouds Generate Electric Charges?

Grains in desert sandstorms spontaneously generate strong electrical charges; likewise volcanic dust plumes produce spectacular lightning displays. Charged particle clouds also cause devastating explosions in food, drug and coal processing industries. Despite the wide-ranging importance of granular charging in both nature and industry, even the simplest aspects of its causes remain elusive, because it is difficult to understand how inert grains in contact with little more than other inert grains can generate the large charges observed. Here, we present a simple yet predictive explanation for the charging of granular materials in collisional flows. We argue from very basic considerations that charge transfer can be expected in collisions of identical dielectric grains in the presence of an electric field, and we confirm the model's predictions using discrete-element simulations and a tabletop granular experiment.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2015

Analytical model for flux saturation in sediment transport

The transport of sediment by a fluid along the surface is responsible for dune formation, dust entrainment and for a rich diversity of patterns on the bottom of oceans, rivers, and planetary surfaces. Most previous models of sediment transport have focused on the equilibrium (or saturated) particle flux. However, the morphodynamics of sediment landscapes emerging due to surface transport of sediment is controlled by situations out-of-equilibrium. In particular, it is controlled by the saturation length characterizing the distance it takes for the particle flux to reach a new equilibrium after a change in flow conditions. The saturation of mass density of particles entrained into transport and the relaxation of particle and fluid velocities constitute the main relevant relaxation mechanisms leading to saturation of the sediment flux. Here we present a theoretical model for sediment transport which, for the first time, accounts for both these relaxation mechanisms and for the different types of sediment entrainment prevailing under different environmental conditions. Our analytical treatment allows us to derive a closed expression for the saturation length of sediment flux, which is general and can thus be applied under different physical conditions.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2015

Midair collisions enhance saltation

Here we address the old question in Aeolian particle transport about the role of midair collisions. We find that, surprisingly, these collisions do enhance the overall flux substantially. The effect depends strongly on restitution coefficient and wind speed. We can explain this observation as a consequence of a soft-bed of grains which floats above the ground and reflects the highest flying particles. We make the unexpected observation that the flux is maximized at an intermediate restitution coefficient of about 0.7, which is comparable to values experimentally measured for collisions between sand grains.

physics.ao-ph↗