Thin-section photographs show that snow consists of lumpy parts and connecting branches. The model proposed here agrees with this real state. This new model is derived from four packing forms of isometric spheres by shrinking the original spheres while maintaining and connecting points of contact as a column. The texture of the model can be varied by setting the packing form, the shrinking ratio and the thickness of connecting branches. When the density and strength of the material of the model are set to the values of polycrystalline ice, the model density and tensile strength agree with published data for dry compacted snow.
In heavy snow area in Japan, more than 40 percents of roads are narrow; so that snow machines often cannot pass through them and such roads are closed by deep snow for a long time. It seems that the best way to circumvent this problem is to replace road gutters with snow removing gutters. It is known that running water in a gutter is able to flow equivalent volume of snow, and that the flow rate (the required volume of water per hour) is easily estimated by the volume of snow which is thrown into the gutter.
Thin-section photographs show that snow consists of lumpy parts and connecting branches. The model proposed here agrees with this real state. This new model is derived from four packing forms of isometric spheres by shrinking the original spheres while maintaining and connecting points of contact as a column. The texture of the model can be varied by setting the packing form, the shrinking ratio and the thickness of connecting branches. When the density and strength of the material of the model are set to the values of polycrystalline ice, the model density and tensile strength agree with published data for dry compacted snow.
Abstract Measurements over several hours of the tensile strain of snow have been carried out, and the strain-rate e can be expressed in terms of stress σ, elapsed time t, and (Celsius) snow temperature T as . It is evident from this expression that a creep fracture does not happen without either an increase of stress or a rise of temperature. We observed the phenomenon of creep fracture of snow by these two methods.
Abstract The breaking strengths of snow were measured by a new tester which had been made by the author, and were expressed as functions of density or hardness. One special merit of the apparatus is that they are useable even for new snow, and the strengths were easily measured to several grammes per cm 2 . The creep expansion of snow was measured by using an optical level, and was expressed as a function of snow density, temperature, internal stress, and lapsed time. One point of the measurement is that the creep expansion rate did not become constant, hut was decreasing with time even several hours from the beginning of the test.
Abstract The breaking strengths of snow were measured by a new tester which had been made by the author, and were expressed as functions of density or hardness. One special merit of the apparatus is that they are useable even for new snow, and the strengths were easily measured to several grammes per cm 2 . The creep expansion of snow was measured by using an optical level, and was expressed as a function of snow density, temperature, internal stress, and lapsed time. One point of the measurement is that the creep expansion rate did not become constant, hut was decreasing with time even several hours from the beginning of the test.
Abstract Measurements over several hours of the tensile strain of snow have been carried out, and the strain-rate e can be expressed in terms of stress σ, elapsed time t, and (Celsius) snow temperature T as . It is evident from this expression that a creep fracture does not happen without either an increase of stress or a rise of temperature. We observed the phenomenon of creep fracture of snow by these two methods.
