Item: Artificial Avalanche Release: Flat Field Experiments Using a Gas Exploder
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Title: Artificial Avalanche Release: Flat Field Experiments Using a Gas Exploder
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2016 Proceedings, Breckenridge, CO, USA
Authors:
- Stephan Simioni [ WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland ]
- Jürg Dual [ Institute of Mechanical Systems, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland ]
- Jürg Schweizer [ WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland ]
Date: 2016-10-02
Abstract: Fixed avalanche control installations are frequently used today due to their various advantages to artificially trigger avalanches. Gas mixtures or explosives are ignited to create the required overpressure on the snowpack which is then transferred to the snowpack and may cause weak layer failure. Hitherto, extensive research has been conducted on explosives. However, comprehensive gas exploder experiments have so far been lacking and the detailed effect of gas explosions on a snowpack is poorly known – although it is no question that gas exploders are successfully operated throughout the world. We performed experiments with a mobile prototype gas exploder on a flat level study site. In total, 35 experiments with different gas quantities consisting of propane and oxygen were conducted. Similar to previous experiments, we measured surface air pressure with microphones at different distances from the point of explosion and snowpack accelerations at different depths within the snowpack and different distances from the explosion. Measurements were performed along two different axes to consider the effect of a directed explosion. As it is the case with explosives, air pressure and accelerations within the snow-pack decay strongly with distance from the point of explosion and depth within the snowpack. The test procedure is well suited as a standard procedure to compare different avalanche release methods. Our findings will help to better understand the effect of different fixed avalanche control installations.
Object ID: ISSW16_O17.04.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s):
Keywords: avalanche control, gas exploder, avalanche formation, experiments
Page Number(s): 405-409
Subjects: avalanche control gas explosive avalanche formation
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