Estimation of Rheological Properties of Snow Subjected to Creep

Abstract

Creep is one of the most important phenomenons to determine the settlement of snow. Snow,in natural conditions, exists at temperature quite close to its melting point and deforms very fast.The settlement of snow is the result of creep phenomenon under the action of overburdenpressure as well as due to metamorphic processes going on within the snowpack. In thiscommunication, creep behaviour of snow is simulated with four-parameter viscoelastic fluidmodel. This viscoelastic character is basically controlled or monitored by various rheologicalconstants. Estimation of all the rheological constants in the four-parameter viscoelastic fluidmodel appropriate for the creep properties of snow is done. Total 91 uniaxial unconfined constantstress experiments on sieved snow were conducted at controlled temperature conditions. Theeffect of density and varying temperature on these constants is found to be remarkable.