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Fracture toughness of snow in shear under friction
H O K Kirchner1, G Michot, J Schweizer
1Institut de Sciences des Matériaux, Université Paris-Sud, F-91405 Orsay Cedex, France.
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|September 21, 2002
Abstract:
The fracture toughness of snow in shear is one of the most relevant parameters when studying the mechanics of snow slab avalanche release. Double-cantilever snow beams were loaded asymmetrically to determine K(IIc). If crack surfaces touch under applied pressure, the fracture toughness in shear of snow (rho=247 kg m(-3)) is K(IIc)=680+/-60 Pa m(1/2). Screening of the stress intensity at the crack tip occurs by Newtonian friction with k=1.3+/-0.47 along the crack faces.