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Modeling Snow Failure Behavior and Concurrent Acoustic Emissions Signatures With a Fiber Bundle Model
Author(s) -
Capelli A.,
Reiweger I.,
Schweizer J.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2019gl082382
Subject(s) - snow , materials science , bundle , deformation (meteorology) , strain rate , fiber bundle , fiber , acoustic emission , mechanics , composite material , geotechnical engineering , geology , physics , geomorphology
Abstract Snow failure is the result of gradual damage accumulation culminating in macroscopic cracks. The failure type strongly depends on the rate of the applied load or strain. Our aim was to study the microstructural mechanisms leading to the macroscopic loading rate dependence. We modeled snow failure and the concurrent acoustic emissions for different loading rates with a fiber bundle model and compared the model results to laboratory experiments. The fiber bundle model included two time‐dependent healing mechanisms opposing the loading‐induced damage process: (a) sintering of broken fibers and (b) relaxation of load inhomogeneities due to viscous deformation. The experimental acoustic emissions features could only be reproduced correctly if both healing mechanisms were included in the model. We conclude that both sintering and viscous deformation at a microscopic level essentially contribute to the macroscopic loading‐ and strain‐rate dependent behavior of snow.