Fluid-driven granular dynamics through a consistent multi-resolution particle method

TL;DR

This paper introduces a multi-resolution, mesh-free particle method for simulating fluid-driven granular erosion, demonstrating improved accuracy and convergence in modeling complex multiphase sediment transport phenomena.

Contribution

The study develops and validates a novel multi-resolution multiphase MPS formulation that enhances accuracy and conservativeness in fluid-granular flow simulations.

Findings

Multi-resolution model predicts analytical solutions with acceptable accuracy.

Mechanical behavior is highly sensitive to water-sediment density ratio.

Multi-resolution approach outperforms single-resolution in flow evolution estimation.

Abstract

Granular dynamics driven by fluid flow is ubiquitous in many industrial and natural processes, such as fluvial and coastal sediment transport. Yet, their complex multiphysics nature challenges the accuracy and efficiency of numerical models. Here, we study the dynamics of rapid fluid-driven granular erosion through a mesh-free particle method based on the enhanced weakly-compressible Moving Particle Semi-implicit (MPS) method. To that end, we develop and validate a new multi-resolution multiphase MPS formulation for the consistent and conservative form of the governing equations, including particle stabilization techniques. First, we discuss the numerical accuracy and convergence of the proposed approximation operators through two numerical benchmark cases: the multi-viscosity Poiseuille flow and the multi-density hydrostatic pressure. Then, coupling the developed model with a generalized rheology equation, we investigate the water dam-break waves over movable beds. The particle convergence study confirms that the proposed multi-resolution formulation predicts the analytical solutions with acceptable accuracy and order of convergence. Validating the multiphase granular flow reveals that the mechanical behavior of this fluid-driven problem is highly sensitive to the water-sediment density ratio; the bed with lighter grains experiences extreme erosion and interface deformations. For the bed with a heavier material but different geometrical setups, the surge speed and the transport layer thickness remain almost identical (away from the gate). Furthermore, while the multi-resolution model accurately estimates the global sediment dynamics, the single-resolution model underestimates the flow evolution. Overall, the qualitative and quantitative analysis of results emphasizes the importance of multi-scale multi-density interactions in fluid-driven modeling.