On the threshold wind velocity of sand movement on sand bed with low water content

Dimension analysis method is employed to study the sand movement on wet sand bed. Four dimensionless variables which influence the incipient sand movement in wind are deduced. The quantitative relation among the threshold wind velocity of sand movement, sand diameter and the agglutinate stress of sand bed is obtained with the mentioned dimensionless variables. By modeling the form of water between sand particles in wet sand bed, the correlation among agglutinate stress, water content and sand diameter is set up. Accordingly, a discriminant of threshold condition of sand movement on wet sand bed is sought out. In this discriminant, the threshold wind velocity has a linear relation with sand diameter and the fourth root of water content. This result is coincident with the experimental data.