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Estimating the effective elastic modulus and specific fracture energy of snowpack layers from field experiments
(2016)Journal of GlaciologyMeasurements of the mechanical properties of snow are essential for improving our understanding and the prediction of snow failure and hence avalanche release. We performed fracture mechanical experiments in which a crack was initiated by a saw in a weak snow layer underlying cohesive snow slab layers. Using particle tracking velocimetry (PTV), the displacement field of the slab was determined and used to derive the mechanical energy of ...Journal Article -
Stress Concentrations in Weak Snowpack Layers and Conditions for Slab Avalanche Release
(2018)Geophysical Research LettersDry-snow slab avalanches release due to the formation of a crack in a weak layer buried below cohesive snow slabs, followed by rapid crack propagation. The onset of rapid crack propagation occurs if stresses at the crack tip in the weak layer overcome its strength. In this study, we use the finite element method to evaluate the maximum shear stress τmax induced by a preexisting crack in a weak snow layer allowing for the bending of the ...Journal Article -
Assessing snow instability in skier-triggered snow slab avalanches by combining failure initiation and crack propagation
(2017)Cold Regions Science and TechnologyDry-snow slab avalanches start with a local failure in a weak snowpack layer buried below cohesive snow slab layers. If the size of the failed zone exceeds a critical size, rapid crack propagation occurs possibly followed by slab release if the slope is steep enough. The probability of skier-triggering a slab avalanche is generally characterized by classical stability indices that do not account for crack propagation. In this study, we ...Journal Article