Articles | Volume 26, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-5167-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-5167-2026
Research article
 | 
22 Oct 2026
Research article |  | 22 Oct 2026

Distinguishing run-up height from pressure distribution during avalanche impact on narrow obstacles: mechanisms and semi-empirical prediction from three-dimensional simulations

Michael J. Kohler, Johan Gaume, Christophe Ancey, and Betty Sovilla

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Cited articles

Armanini, A., Larcher, M., and Odorizzi, M.: Dynamic Impact of a Debris Flow Front against a Vertical Wall, Italian Journal of Engineering Geology and Environment, 1041–1049, https://doi.org/10.4408/IJEGE.2011-03.B-113, 2011. a, b, c
Austrian Standards International: ÖNORM B 4801, https://www.austrian-standards.at/de/shop/onorm-b-4801-2024-10-01~p3815092 (last access: 30 September 2026), 2024. a, b, c, d
Bartelt, P., Salm, B., and Gruber, U.: Calculating Dense-Snow Avalanche Runout Using a Voellmy-fluid Model with Active/Passive Longitudinal Straining, J. Glaciol., 45, 242–254, https://doi.org/10.3189/S002214300000174X, 1999. a
Bartelt, P., Caviezel, A., Degonda, S., and Buser, O.: Avalanche Impact Pressures on Structures with Upstream Pile-Up/Accumulation Zones of Compacted Snow, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss. [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-2018-154, 2018. a
Blatny, L., Löwe, H., Wang, S., and Gaume, J.: Computational Micromechanics of Porous Brittle Solids, Comput. Geotech., 140, 104284, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2021.104284, 2021. a
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Short summary
Snow avalanches threaten infrastructure in mountain regions. When designing slim structures like cableway masts, engineers currently assume that how high an avalanche piles up at an obstacle determines where high pressures act. Using detailed simulations, we show that this assumption is inaccurate: fast avalanches climb far higher than where pressure concentrates. We address this by proposing separate prediction formulas for each quantity, enabling more efficient and reliable structural design.
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