The Growth of Bonds and the Increase of Mechanical Strength in a Dry Seasonal Snow-Pack

Simultaneous measurements were made of bot the strength and structural properties of a dry, seasonal snow-pack. The densities of the snow studied ranged from 126 to 407 kg m−3. The mechanical strength of this snow as determined by insitu shear-wave test and a centrifugal tensile test increases exponentially with the increase in size of intergranular sands. Bonding increases at a rate substantially greater than that predicted by the classical sintering equations. It is suggested that this is due to the wide variety of stresses present in snow with these relatively low densities.