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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Geohazards and Georisks
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feart.2025.1519353

Vibration signal characteristics of debris flow initiation and motion experiments by considering clay content

Provisionally accepted
Zhaodong Li Zhaodong Li 1Zhiyong Huang Zhiyong Huang 2,3*Ping Li Ping Li 1*Zhiqi Tian Zhiqi Tian 4*Enxian Jia Enxian Jia 1*Tonglu Li Tonglu Li 1*
  • 1 Chang’an University, Xi'an, China
  • 2 Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 3 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, Beijing, China
  • 4 PowerChina Northwest Engineering Corporation Limited,, Xi'an, Shanxi, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Micro accelerometers are extensively utilized for the monitoring and early warning of geological disasters. This study takes the potential debris flow in Wangjiayuan, Fang County, Hubei Province as an example, designed physical model experiments with varying clay content to simulate debris flow motion. A micro accelerometer was utilized to directly monitor and record the vibration acceleration changes throughout the debris flow initiation and motion process. A frequency spectrum is made through Fourier transform to analyze the relationship between its motion characteristics and frequency domain.The frequency spectrum, generated via short-time Fourier transform, facilitated the analysis of motion characteristics in relation to the frequency domain. The results revealed that the predominant period for debris flow initiation is 15Hz-29Hz, and for motion to the middle section of the flow area, it is 36Hz-54Hz. An increase in clay particle content correlates with a decrease in the frequency range and mean of the predominantdominant period during debris flow initiation and motion, as well as a reduction in Fourier amplitude 2 extremum. These findings provide a basis for monitoring and warning of debris flows, and based on the vibration signal characteristics of debris flow initiation and motion, the clay content of debris flows can also be inferred.These findings offer a basis for debris flow monitoring and allow for the inference of clay content within debris flows based on vibration signal characteristics.

    Keywords: Debris flow, Clay content, Micro accelerometers, Short-Time Fourier Transform, Predominant period

    Received: 29 Oct 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Li, Huang, Li, Tian, Jia and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Zhiyong Huang, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China
    Ping Li, Chang’an University, Xi'an, China
    Zhiqi Tian, PowerChina Northwest Engineering Corporation Limited,, Xi'an, 710065, Shanxi, China
    Enxian Jia, Chang’an University, Xi'an, China
    Tonglu Li, Chang’an University, Xi'an, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.