Snow Mechanics
The research project deals with methods to more effectively use limited amounts of snow in a warmer climate with shorter periods of winter. For the tourism industry it is of great importance to have snow early in the winter season and to be able to guarantee the right amount of snow with the right quality.
Artificial snow and artificial ground freezing is therefore necessary. The main focus of the project is to find methods for ground freezing which makes it possible to start building constructions of snow and ice early in the season, where also consideration regarding energy efficiency is important in order to have a “low carbon footprint”. Using the melting snow to produce cold with a temperature lower than 0°C is another part of the project where development of a new cooling system is needed.
The mechanical properties of snow needs to be studied and experiments and simulations will be done to get a better understanding of the mechanical behaviour of constructions made by snow and ice. Material models for mixtures of snow and ice will be studied, developed and tested and the influence of parameters like for example temperature, time, load, density, crystal size etc. on the mechanical properties will be studied as well.
PhD student Nina Lintzén | Supervisor Sven Knutsson, Tommy Edeskär
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