Snow Drifting and Engineering Design

Abstract

The results of field experiments and observations on drift snow accumulation in the vicinity of Arctic bases show that it is possible to design buildings and facilities and to lay out bases and depots in Polar regions which will largely control drifting snow. It is possible, also, to make use of drifting snow in the construction of some facilities.

Design criteria for Arctic construction, which will reduce snow drifting to a minimum, include the following :

• (1) elevation of buildings above the ground surface to permit free flow of wind-borne snow beneath the structure

• (2) orientation of buildings and base layout to minimize coalescence of drifts, and

• (3) elevation of roadways and air strips to provide self clearing of the traffic surface.

Drifting snow may be accumulated by suitable catchment fences and utilized to construct elevated roads, air strips, and hardstands on the Polar Ice Caps, where loss of seasonal precipitation by melting is negligible.

Efforts are being made to develop snow-simulating materials suitable for scale-model tests in a wind tunnel. It appears that there must be a scaled relationship between the physical properties of the simulator and the prototype snow.