An elasto-visco-plastic constitutive model for snow: Theory and finite element implementation

Snow exhibits unique mechanical behaviour due to its evolving properties influenced by temperature, stress conditions, and viscous effects. This paper introduces a nonlinear constitutive model for snow, featuring new formulations for the yield function and strain rate potential, and incorporating viscosity, sintering, and degradation effects. The model is numerically integrated into the Abaqus/Standard FEM software using a fully implicit backward Euler method for time integration and Powell’s hybrid method for linearizing the nonlinear system of equations. The robustness and stability of the numerical scheme ensure accurate simulation of snow behaviour under various loading conditions. The model is finally validated against experimental data available in the literature, demonstrating its effectiveness and reliability in capturing the complex mechanical response of snow.