Particles size segregation and roll waves in dense granular flows

Geophysical granular flows, such as landslides, snow avalanches and pyroclastic flows commonly involve particles with different sizes which are prone to segregate during the flow. This particle-size segregation may lead to the formation of regions with different frictional properties which can have a feedback on the flow. This study aims to understand this effect in the context of bi-disperse roll waves in shallow granular free-surface flows. Experiments have been performed in a 3 meter long chute using several mixtures of spherical glass beads of diameter 75-150 and 400-600 microns flowing on a rough bed. These show that the waves propagate at constant speed that depends on the initial mixture composition. In addition, during their propagation, a higher concentration of large particles is localized at the front of the waves. A theoretical and numerical approach is presented using depth-averaged equations for the conservation of mass, momentum and depth-averaged small particle concentration. Results without frictional feedback are investigated and compared to those that include the enhanced frictional resistance to motion of the large grains.