Articles | Volume 25, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-1975-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-1975-2025
Research article
 | 
17 Jun 2025
Research article |  | 17 Jun 2025

The effect of slab touchdown on anticrack arrest in propagation saw tests

Philipp L. Rosendahl, Johannes Schneider, Grégoire Bobillier, Florian Rheinschmidt, Bastian Bergfeld, Alec van Herwijnen, and Philipp Weißgraeber

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Cited articles

Adam, V., Bergfeld, B., Weißgraeber, P., van Herwijnen, A., and Rosendahl, P. L.: Fracture toughness of mixed-mode anticracks in highly porous materials, Nat. Commun., 15, 7379, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51491-7, 2024. a
Bair, E. H., Simenhois, R., van Herwijnen, A., and Birkeland, K.: The influence of edge effects on crack propagation in snow stability tests, The Cryosphere, 8, 1407–1418, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1407-2014, 2014. a, b, c, d
Benedetti, L., Gaume, J., and Fischer, J.-T.: A mechanically-based model of snow slab and weak layer fracture in the Propagation Saw Test, Int. J. Solids Struct., 158, 1–20, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2017.12.033, 2019. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n
Bergfeld, B., van Herwijnen, A., Reuter, B., Bobillier, G., Dual, J., and Schweizer, J.: Dynamic crack propagation in weak snowpack layers: insights from high-resolution, high-speed photography, The Cryosphere, 15, 3539–3553, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3539-2021, 2021. a
Bergfeld, B., van Herwijnen, A., Bobillier, G., Rosendahl, P. L., Weißgraeber, P., Adam, V., Dual, J., and Schweizer, J.: Temporal evolution of crack propagation characteristics in a weak snowpack layer: conditions of crack arrest and sustained propagation, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 293–315, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-293-2023, 2023a. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h
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Short summary
Avalanche formation depends on crack propagation in weak snow layers, but the conditions that stop a crack remain unclear. We show that slab touchdown reduces the energy driving crack growth, which can halt propagation even under static conditions. This suggests that crack arrest is influenced not only by snowpack variability or dynamics but also by mechanical interactions within the snowpack. Our findings refine avalanche prediction models and improve hazard assessment.
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