A MacCormack-TVD finite difference method to simulate the mass flow in mountainous terrain with variable computational domain

A two-dimensional mountainous mass flow dynamic procedure solver (Massflow-2D) using the MacCormack-TVD finite difference scheme is proposed. The solver is implemented in Matlab on structured meshes with variable computational domain. To verify the model, a variety of numerical test scenarios, namely, the classical one-dimensional and two-dimensional dam break, the landslide in Hong Kong in 1993 and the Nora debris flow in the Italian Alps in 2000, are executed, and the model outputs are compared with published results. It is established that the model predictions agree well with both the analytical solution as well as the field observations.

► A fast finite difference scheme with variable computational domain is proposed. ► The algorithm is implemented as a general Massflow-2D code in Matlab. ► Many numerical cases are well simulated and compared with the field data.