Speed and attenuation of acoustic waves in snow: Laboratory experiments and modeling with Biot's theory

Continuum cavity expansion and discrete micromechanical models for inferring macroscopic snow mechanical properties from cone penetration data

“…However, the MMM-predicted values for elastic modulus do not seem to vary with density. The values for elastic modulus estimated by the CEM for highdensity snow were consistent with other studies that used independent methods to measure the elastic modulus and compared the values with the penetration forces obtained with the SMP ( [Capelli et al, 2016;Benjamin Reuter et al, 2013;Sigrist, 2006]). The values for elastic modulus estimated by the CEM for highdensity snow were consistent with other studies that used independent methods to measure the elastic modulus and compared the values with the penetration forces obtained with the SMP ( [Capelli et al, 2016;Benjamin Reuter et al, 2013;Sigrist, 2006]).…”

“…Unlike conventional continuum models, the micromechanical model statistically characterizes snow microstructural parameters based on data from the high-resolution penetrometer SnowMicroPen (SMP) . [Capelli et al, 2016;Reuter et al, 2013;Sigrist, 2006] Despite the benefit of the micromechanical model, it requires many underlying assumptions with regard to the distribution of rupture forces, inference of microstructural properties based on statistical parameters, and the scaling of these to bulk mechanical properties. The original micromechanical model presented by Johnson and Schneebeli [1999] has since been updated to generalize the suggested peak counting method [Marshall and Johnson, 2009] and reformulated in terms of a Poisson shot noise process to reduce assumptions regarding spacing of snow microstructural elements [Löwe and Van Herwijnen, 2012] (details in supporting information section S1).…”

Measuring the Elastic Modulus of Snow

“…Since P wave propagation speeds depend on density and elastic moduli, the elastic modulus of snow can be derived from acoustic wave propagation experiments (AC) from first principles and are considered as most consistent (Mellor, ) due to high frequencies and small amplitudes. Such experiments invariably result in significantly higher values, on the order of 100 MPa (Capelli et al ; Smith, ). Alternatively, the elastic properties can also be derived from finite element calculations using the reconstructed 3‐D microstructure from micro‐computed tomography (CT) (e.g., Köhle & Schneebeli, ; Schneebeli, ; Srivastava et al, ; Wautier et al, ).…”

Modeling Snow Failure Behavior and Concurrent Acoustic Emissions Signatures With a Fiber Bundle Model

“…Therefore, the two parameters viscosity and elastic modulus need to be adapted to the measured strain and the observed failure behavior. The method providing best results for the elastic properties of snow is based on measuring the propagation speed of acoustic waves, which induce deformations that are small and fast enough to be in the elastic range (Capelli et al, 2016). Hence, the single fibers should be viewed as small discrete snow cells.…”