A wide range of flow-type mass movements occur in nature. Depending on the solid fraction of these flows, they can be characterized as stream flows (flash floods), hyper-concentrated flows (debris floods), debris flows, and dry debris avalanches. A key scientific challenge in mitigating these hazards is estimating the impact force that they exert on protection structures. In this study, a new framework (N fric - Fr 2 - alpha \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\alpha$$\end{document} relationship) is proposed to characterize and unify the impact behavior for a wide spectrum of flow-type mass movements. The friction number N fric characterizes the ratio of grain-contact to fluid-viscous stresses for the wide range of flow types. Solid-fluid interaction regulates the pore fluid pressure, thereby governing the rheology of the flows and the degree of static loading exerted on a barrier. The Froude number Fr 2 (in squared form) macroscopically characterizes the flow inertia relative to the earth's gravitational field. Finally, the dynamic pressure coefficient alpha \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\alpha$$\end{document} is used to quantify the impact force in a dimensionless manner. As compared to existing guidelines, which recommend a wide range of alpha \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\alpha$$\end{document} without considering the flow composition, the newly proposed framework in this study estimates the dynamic impact force by considering the effects of solid-fluid interaction. Findings from this study could further enhance the design of flow-type mass movement mitigation structures.