Modelling a Snowdrift by Means of Activated Clay Particles

Abstract

This paper presents a small scale modelling of a snowdrift using activated clay particles.Characteristic properties of activated clay particles, which are different from model snow particles proposed previously by other investigators, are fineness, high angle of repose and wide range of cohesion. Such properties may provide a similitude of a snowdrift and the phenomena caused by wet snow particles in a small scale model.Experimental results presented in this paper show that activated clay particles are the most suitable substitute for natural snow particles in modelling, and indicate also the possibility of using them to model wet snow particles.