Comparison between FLO-2D and Debris-2D on application of assessment of granular debris flow

Abstract

In Taiwan, numerical simulation has been a widely accepted method for assessment of debris flow hazard. The most used numerical programs are FLO-2D and Debris-2D. Even though these two programs are applied to the same engineering tasks, but they are different in many aspects. We compare these two programs according to their fundamental theories, input and output data, computational algorithms and results. A real debris flow with abundant granular material induced by landslides at Xinfa village in southern Taiwan is simulated by both programs for comparison. As shown by simulation results, Debris-2D gives better result in hazard area delineating and flow depth predicting than FLO-2D. Therefore, granular debris flows are better simulated by Debris-2D.