Consider a bentonitic mudflow with density 1100 kg/m3 and dynamic viscosity 2 pa-s.
a. what is the approximate fraction of mud in the mixture?
b. how much more viscous is this mud than water? why would adding bentonite to water increase its viscosity so much? do you think another material (e. g. silica or carbonate silt) would have the same effect?
c. if the mud is flowing steadily on a slope of 0.001 at a depth of 1 m in a channel 50 m wide, find the unit discharge, the total discharge (volume of fluid/time), the average flow velocity, and the maximum flow velocity.
d. if the mudflow is 500 m wide, how long will it take to deliver a million (106) m3 of mud?