Energetic kinetic of debris flow in a horizontal chute using centroid vector displacement method

Debris flows, as a type of large-scale geological disaster, are a global focus regarding their formation boundary, kinematic properties and deposit morphology. In small-scale laboratory simulations, factors such as water content, equivalent grain size, grain size ratio and aspect ratio significantly influence the formation boundaries and flow regime. Quantifying the effects of these numerous variables is a crucial prerequisite for advancing research on geological disasters represented by debris flows. We conducted simulations of the debris flow triggering process within a horizontal chute and used the proposed centroid vector displacement method to quantitatively assess the kinetic characteristics from an energetic perspective. By integrating the influence of water content into the traditional Bond number, we were able to clearly differentiate three distinct collapse regimes. Through modulation of the size and density ratios, we explored the distribution of intensity for various mechanisms along the flow direction. To characterize the relative strength of diffusion and buoyancy effects on the length scale, we introduced a dimensionless parameter λ. This parameter enabled us to define the boundary conditions necessary for the formation of core-band patterns.