Snowpack Strength and Micromechanics on Grand Mesa, Colorado, via the 2017 NASA SnowEx SnowMicroPen Dataset
Publication: Cold Regions Engineering 2024: Sustainable and Resilient Engineering Solutions for Changing Cold Regions
ABSTRACT
This study investigates several of the snowpack micromechanical and microstructural properties which are critical to assessing the engineering capabilities of snow, such as stability. Snow density, compression strength, and microstructural element deflection at rupture were derived using the 2017 NASA SnowEx SnowMicroPenetrometer datasets from the Grand Mesa, Colorado, USA. Our study employs a comprehensive methodology involving spatial statistical relationships and physically based calculations to assess these microparameters. The SMP force profiles were initially pre-processed to correct signal errors and eliminate non-snow portions. Results from the statistical analyses reveal notable spatial auto- and cross-correlations among compression strength, deflection at rupture, and snow density. Despite non-uniform spacing between the sampling locations, results indicate positive cross-correlations between snow density and compression strength, as well as between snow density and deflection at rupture. Conversely, an observable negative correlation exists between compression strength and the rupture deflection.
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Published In
Cold Regions Engineering 2024: Sustainable and Resilient Engineering Solutions for Changing Cold Regions
Pages: 380 - 388
History
Published online: May 9, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Analysis (by type)
- Business management
- Climates
- Cold regions engineering
- Compressive strength
- Continuum mechanics
- Correlation
- Displacement (mechanics)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering mechanics
- Environmental engineering
- Federal government
- Government
- Material mechanics
- Material properties
- Materials engineering
- Mathematics
- Meteorology
- Micromechanics
- Organizations
- Practice and Profession
- Precipitation
- Snow
- Solid mechanics
- Spatial analysis
- Statistics
- Strength of materials
- Structural mechanics
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