Finite-Element Analysis of Snow on Slopes

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Authors: Navarre, J. P., Desrues, J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1980
• Subjects: Earth-Surface Processes; Journal of Glaciology
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000011072; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000011072

Abstract This study describes the application of an incremental rheological law for snow in a finite-element model. The computation simulates the variation of strains and stresses in a layer of snow covering an inclined plane of variable slope. At the same time, a physical simulation was carried out in a cold room to verify the results obtained with the model. This work illustrates the value of a finite-element model for snow, but also the complications attendant on its use. Indeed, the integration of the law may lead to oscillations due to the rate of variation of the stresses, and this means that the time increment must be modulated during the computation.