Congratulations to Dr Ali Tolooiyan, Dr Gholamreza Kefayati, Dr Ashley Dyson and Mr Shiyin Sha for the successful completion of the Kunanyi (Mt Wellington) Debris Flow Risk Reduction and Mitigation Strategies Project. The study was funded through the National Disaster Risk Reduction Grants Program (NDRRGP) and administered by the Tasmanian State Emergency Service. As part of the research, the CES-Lab team assessed the performance of existing protective debris flow barriers, in addition to future structures for debris flow hazard mitigation in the regions surrounding Mt Wellington in Hobart, Tasmania.
Through the work, CES-Lab used advanced numerical models including Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) and the Coupled Eulerian Lagrangian method (CEL) to model debris flow propagation, the transport of boulders and debris, and the behaviour of rigid and flexible barrier structures for several of the Hobart rivulets in close proximity to houses and public infrastructure assets. The project culminated in a one-day open workshop for local and state governments, and industry groups.