A new model for snow avalanche dynamics based on non-Newtonian fluids

The purpose of this paper is to describe the snow avalanche dynamics emphasizing the phenomenon of entrainment, the shape variation and the velocity profile thanks to the peculiar features of the Non-Newtonian fluids, in particular those showing shear thinning and Bingham constitutive behaviour. Two different approaches are proposed to simulate the avalanches numerically: the determination of the relations to transform the avalanche domain in a simple shape domain that doesn’t change in time and the level set method, suitable for the free boundary problems. Finally, the characteristics of the variation of the interface between avalanche and snowcover under a similarity hypothesis is put forward. A further refinement of those methodologies, coupled with experimental data, will eventually allow to validate the model proposed.