Item: Experimentally Derived Affected Snow Volumes and Dynamic Response of Hard Slab Snow From Explosives
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Title: Experimentally Derived Affected Snow Volumes and Dynamic Response of Hard Slab Snow From Explosives
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2014 Proceedings, Banff, Canada
Authors:
- Daniel A. Miller [ Department of Civil Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA ]
- Josephine Binger [ Department of Civil Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA ]
Date: 2014-09-29
Abstract: Abstract: Avalanche hazard mitigation programs routinely use explosive charges to release avalanches and test slope stability, but fundamental understanding of snowpack response to explosive detonations is lacking. This project, conducted in southwest Montana, aimed to verify past findings and further develop an understanding of snow explosive interactions, particularly for hard slab conditions. Past research collected dynamic snow responses 10-100m from the detonation site while the current study placed an instrumentation suite within 3-7m of the detonation. Pentolite cast boosters (0.9kg) were detonated at 0.0m, 0.5m, 1.0m, 1.5m, and 2.0m heights above the hard slab snow surface. An array of six orthogonally paired accelerometers, inserted into the snowpack at three different depths at two locations from the blast, recorded snow accelerations. High pressure sensors, located at and above the snow surface, measured air overpressures. Distances, radial and horizontal, from the explosives and charge height were scaled to TNT equivalents to aid in explosive placement comparisons. A substantial advantage was recorded in maximum snow accelerations due to elevating the explosive. Vertical and radial attenuation functions within the snowpack were determined from accelerometer data. Using the attention functions, predictions for depth and range of affected snow were developed. While the depth of affected snow did not increase substantially with a raised explosive, the range did show significant increases yielding an 88-100% increase in the volume of snow impacted by the explosive. The data also demonstrated that there was virtually no penalty in shockwave attenuation from raising the explosive.
Object ID: ISSW14_paper_P1.43.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s):
Keywords: snow explosive response, avalanche hazard mitigation.
Page Number(s): 625-629
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