Equivalent materials for the erosion–deposition mechanical behavior of snow particles in snow protection engineering

Snow protection engineering essentially involves large-scale, spatiotemporal wind-induced snow drifting phenomenon in which snow particle deposition effects are dominant, and erosion effects are secondary. As wind tunnel experiments serve as a key method for studying snowdrift, the accurate reproduction of snow accumulation around snow protection engineering can only be achieved by selecting equivalent materials that satisfy the critical similarity parameters. In this study, silica sand, polyethylene (high-density material), and sawdust (low-density material) were selected to conduct experimental investigations validating the erosion–deposition mechanical behavior of snow particles. Regarding the mechanical behavior of particle deposition, the primary similarity parameter is the correct modeling of suspension particle trajectory. Polyethylene, as a high-density material that closely matches the prototype snow, is the only material that satisfies the drag coefficient similarity parameter. The results indicate that under deposition-dominated snow fence conditions, polyethylene can accurately replicate wind-induced snow drifting. In contrast, sawdust, as a typical low-density material, tends to overestimate the turbulent response of suspension particles during snowdrift, while silica sand, due to its density and threshold friction velocity limitations, cannot effectively simulate the deposition behavior. For particle erosion mechanical behavior, the key similarity parameter is the correct modeling of the ejection process. High-density materials can effectively reproduce wall shear distribution, whereas low-density materials typically fail to satisfy the Reynolds number of aerodynamic roughness and tend to overestimate the erosion effect of the particles. This study provides a high-precision, low-cost basis for the selection of equivalent materials in wind tunnel tests for snow protection engineering.