https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-06051-3
Regular Article
Study on the characteristics of aeolian sand movement and accumulation at the east wall of Suoyang Ancient City based on CFD
1
College of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, and Key Laboratory of Mechanics on Disaster and Environment in Western China, Lanzhou University, The Ministry of Education of China, 730000, Lanzhou, Gansu, People’s Republic of China
2
Key Scientific Research Base of Basic Science of Rock-Earthen Relics Protection and Talents Cultivation (Lanzhou University), Cultural Heritage Bureau of Gansu Province, 730000, Lanzhou, Gansu, People’s Republic of China
3
Institute of Archaeology and Museology, School of History and Culture, Lanzhou University, 730000, Lanzhou, Gansu, People’s Republic of China
4
Henan Provincial Architectural Heritage Protection and Research Institute, 450001, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
5
Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, 450000, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
Received:
10
July
2024
Accepted:
22
January
2025
Published online:
8
February
2025
The frequent eolian processes in the northwest region of China pose a persistent threat to the conservation of earthen sites. Located in the “World Wind City” of Guazhou, Suoyang Ancient City experiences maximum wind velocities of 24 m/s, leading to severe sand accumulation and damage to its walls. This study focused on a typical 70-m-long section of the east wall of Suoyang Ancient City, featuring a gap, and utilized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted modeling technology to construct a three-dimensional model of the wall. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods were employed to simulate the movement and accumulation processes of wind-blown sand. The research found that upward airflow at the upper part of the wall enables sand particles to surmount the wall's top, while downward airflow at the lower part accelerates the downward deposition of sand particles at the base of the wall. The wind field on the windward side is evenly distributed, resulting in relatively uniform sand deposition. Conversely, on the leeward side, a reflux zone forms after the airflow passes over the wall, causing sand particles to accumulate in an arc-shaped pattern behind the wall. The simulated results align with actual observations of sand accumulation at the gap in the east wall, providing valuable insights for sand prevention and control efforts at the Suoyang Ancient City.
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-06051-3.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
