A wind tunnel study of sand-cemented bodies on wind erosion intensity and sand transport

Abstract

Wind tunnel experiments were used to test the capacity of sand-cemented bodies (SCB) on mulch beds. The total sand transport rate decreased as the level of SCB coverage increased. At higher SCB coverage (more than 40 %), the sand transport was basically unaffected by further increases in SCB coverage. While at low SCB coverage (less than 10 %), wind velocity played an important role in sand transport. Under the same SCB coverage, the sand transport depends on the increasing SCB size, due to the decrease in SCB density. The wind erosion intensity exponentially decreased with increasing SCB coverage (less than 40 %). The vertical profiles of horizontal mass flux from the SCB mulch–sand surface were also described by an exponential relationship. The vertical sand movement of particles was more sensitive to changes in SCB coverage at 20–40 %, compared with at less than 10 %. When the SCB coverage was more than 40 %, the decay rate of sand transport with height was nearly invariable. In summary, increases in SCB coverage had anti-erosion benefits for the underlying sand surface and could be considered for the development of a new type of sand fixation technology.