A Volumetric Constitutive Law for Snow Subjected to Large Strains and Strain Rates

摘要

A volumetric constitutive equation was developed to characterize the behavior of snow subjected to large compressive volumetric deformations. By treating the material as a suspension of air voids in a matrix material of polycrystalline ice, a rate-dependent volumetric constitutive law was formulated and found to accurately predict material response to pressure loads for a wide range of load rates. Comparison of the theory with shock wave data was not considered in this paper, although the constitutive law appears to be valid for such load situations. One application to oversnow mobility of tracked vehicles was made. In this case, power requirements due to snow compaction were calculated parametrically in terms of vehicle speed, track loading, and snow density.