Wind-Tunnel Study of Wind-Blown Sand Transport on and behind a Sand Bed

Abstract

In order to determine the distance required over a sand bed for the transport rate by wind to be in equilibrium, and the distance from the end of the sand bed over which most of the falling sand grains will deposit, laboratory experiments were carried out in a large blow-off type wind-tunnel under the realistic conditions. Thus, results from the measured vertical distributions of wind-blown sand transport rates suggested that: (1) the equilibrium distance was 8-10m for the fine sand and 15m for the coarse sand; (2) the erosion area which appeared in the beginning of the sand bed was 6m long for a fine sand bed and 8m long for a coarse sand bed; and (3) the leeward distance from the end of the sand bed to a point that most of the sand grains could not pass was 4m for the case of fine sand and 6-8m for the case of coarse sand.