Why can a dredge pump fine silt a farther distance than say a coarse sand?
The greatest contributor to the friction between the sand particles and the pipe walls is the velocity of the slurry. Since coarse sand requires higher slurry velocity to keep it from settling, the friction between the sand particles and the inner walls of the tube increases, and that means coarse sand will travel less distance than silt or fine sand.
Related Questions
- Why is it so difficult to dredge and pump viscous sludges and how do their properties differ from conventional materials like sand gravel/silt?
- Which stays suspended in water longer: fine sediments like silt and clay or coarser sediments like sand?
- Why can a dredge pump fine silt a farther distance than say a coarse sand?
