Quantitative Stereological Analysis of Grain Bonds in Snow
A section-plane preparation technique and an operational definition of a snow grain bond are developed to allow the quantitative analysis of bonding in snow structure. Values for three-dimensional grain size, grain-bond size and number density, and related bonding measurements are presented for equi...
Published in: | Journal of Glaciology |
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Main Author: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
1975
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000021973 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000021973 |
Summary: | A section-plane preparation technique and an operational definition of a snow grain bond are developed to allow the quantitative analysis of bonding in snow structure. Values for three-dimensional grain size, grain-bond size and number density, and related bonding measurements are presented for equi-temperature metamorphosed snow. These results from mutually orthogonal planes within a given snow block show that the assumptions of randomness and isotropy of grain and grain-bond location and orientation, necessary for stereological analysis from one plane, are satisfied to within ± 10% even after 30% uniaxial plastic deformation of the snow block. The idealization of a grain bond as a circular plane disk yields self-consistent results. The number of bonds per grain cannot be accurately determined from two-dimensional studies due to variations in the shape and size of snow grains within a given sample. |
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