On the evaluation of yield stress of soils for debris flow analysis

Abstract

Debris flow materials behave as a fluid, hence its analysis requires rheological parameters such as yield stress and viscosity. Yield stress is associated to the start and the end of the mass movement downhill in the sense that it denotes the yield transition from the creep to the flow regime, i.e., passage from solid to fluid state. This paper presents an experimental study of the yield stress of a colluvium from Rio de Janeiro, through its determination in a modified set-up of the slump test and in a rotational parallel plate rheometer. Tests were performed in five different water contents above its liquidity limit, providing a fairly good relationship between yield stress and water content. While slump test provides yield stress related to the beginning of the movement (acceleration), rheometer results are related to flow's outset and stoppage. As a result, the percentual differences between yield stresses associated with acceleration and deceleration were less than 5% in all testes, which is related to the low hysteresis effect in the flow curves obtained in the rotational rheometer. Comparing the two methodologies, it is proposed a correction from rheometer to slump test results. Results obtained are compared with data presented in other studies involving soil's yield stress, showing a good acceptance of the slump test results as a cheap alternative to rheometers.