LIU Xiao ping, DONG Zhi bao. Wind Threshold Shear Velocities of Sands at Moistened State[J]. Bulletin of Soiland Water Conservation, 2002, 21(2): 1-4.DOI:
The widely accepted Bagnold type function to calculate threshold wind velocity or shear velocity was developed for dry sands. However
surface moisture is an extremely important variable controlling the entrainment process of sands by wind because the tensile force between the water molecules and sand grains produces cohesion. The detailed results from experiments in a laboratory wind tunnel are reported
in which the threshold shear velocities for a range of sand grains with different moisture content are measured. The results show that the functions relating threshold shear velocity and moisture content are different for different sized sands. Relative threshold shear velocity
the ratio of threshold shear velocity of sand at moistened state to that at dry state is better related to moisture content. For given grain size
the threshold shear velocity is proportional to the square root of moisture content.