Research on the Effect of Sand Barriers on Highways in Desert Areas on Sand Control

Sand barriers are one of the essential measures used to prevent wind and sand disasters on expressways in desert areas. The article uses Fluent numerical simulation to consider different heights, as well as different spacing from two perspectives, and determine the ideal vertical height of sand barriers (porosity is fixed at 20%). Adding to existing wind and sand flow field research, our analysis of the wind speed and sand characteristics reveals the changing rules that affect a single group of high vertical sand barriers along the highway when considering different parameters and measuring the wind and sand performance. At the same time, we also use field research to verify the accuracy of numerical simulation. The study shows the following. (1) When the airflow passes through the single group of vertical sand barriers, it will form a deceleration zone, acceleration zone, turbulence zone and stabilization zone in different areas, and the overall distribution of the wind and sand flow field is in the shape of a “W”. (2) When the spacing is 4 H, the maximal wind speed in the transition area of the sand barriers is two to three times bigger than that when the spacing is 2 H, which is not conducive to the accumulation of sand particles. When the spacing is 1 H, the maximum wind speed of the two rows of sand barriers is two to three times bigger than that when the spacing is 2, and the two rows of sand barriers overlap in wind protection performance, reducing the overall protective capacity of the sand barriers. (3) As the height of the sand barriers continues to grow, the protective performance of the sand barriers is also enhanced. In the same position around the sand barriers, the wind speed under the 2.5 m sand barriers is lower than that under the 1.0 m sand barriers by 2–3 m/s. It is suggested that the height of the sand barriers should be controlled at 1.5–2.0 m in the actual deployment, and 2 H spacing should be used.