Item: Experimental Study of Short-Term Loading Influence on Snow Shear Strength
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Title: Experimental Study of Short-Term Loading Influence on Snow Shear Strength
Proceedings: Proceedings Whistler 2008 International Snow Science Workshop September 21-27, 2008
Authors:
- Evgeny Podolskiy [ Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan ]
- Pavel Chernous [ Center of Avalanche Safety, “Apatit†JSC, Kirovsk, Russia ]
- Osamu Abe [ Shinjo Branch, Snow and Ice Research Center, NIED, Shinjo, Japan ]
- Nikolay Barashev [ Center of Avalanche Safety, “Apatit†JSC, Kirovsk, Russia ]
- Kouichi Nishimura [ Niigata University, Faculty of Science, Niigata, Japan ]
Date: 2008-09-22
Abstract: It is well known that short-term loadings caused by earthquakes, explosions, skiers etc. can trigger avalanches. There are some models of similar influence on snow stability. One of them ties a loss of snow stability with a possible shear strength decreasing at short-term loading. This work concerns experimental studies of the phenomenon. The experiments were carried out at the Cryospheric Environmental Simulator of the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (Japan) and at the field station of the Center for Avalanche Safety of "Apatit" JSC in the Khibini Mountains (Russia). The majority of the experiments were carried out with a specially made shaking table. Shear force and snow sample accelerations were registered with high frequency gages. In some cases shear deformation was also measured. In total more than one hundred experiments have been carried out. It was found that at high rate loading, snow shear strength is significantly less than at low rate ones. Comparison of this effect for different rates of loading and different types of snow has been done. Obtained experimental results and their possible application for snow stability assessment are discussed.
Language of Article: English
Presenters: Pavel Chernous
Keywords: snow, seismicity, shear strength, avalanche
Page Number(s): 701
Subjects: fracture mechanics avalanche dynamics
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