Key Technologies of Dynamic Flume Test for Earthquake Induced Rock Avalanches

Model test plays an important role in the research of rock avalanches. However, there is a problem that test results are sometimes too scattered to establish a trend. A series of small-scale flume tests on shaking table were conducted to analyze the influencing effects of dynamic factors acting on the rock avalanches, and the similar problem was found. Efforts were paid to obtain much more reasonable test results by adopting adjustments for operations, especially those that would affect the test results with high sensitivity. It was found that releasing geometry performed a much more obvious influence on the results in the dynamic tests than in the static tests and acquired a sample emplacement method with higher standard. Some individual particles would be forced out of the flume by shaking, with much higher speed than in static tests. Attention should be paid to recycle these particles, or it would result in shorter run-out in the next tests. Besides, attentions were suggested to pay in many manual operations which were regards as key technologies of the tests, such as sample arrangement, vibration applying and sample releasing, run-out measurement, et al. The introductions of the operating techniques in our tests would form a basis for future test design and help to understand the mechanism of earthquake induced rock avalanches.