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International audience; An intimate understanding of snow failure, particularly under mixed-mode shear and normal loading, is a key ingredient for numerical modelling of snow avalanche release. Due to its highly porous structure, the failure of snow can result in a volumetric collapse. Despite its importance, snow failure and collapse remain poorly understood, mainly due to the fragile nature of the material, which renders systematic experimental exploration difficult and complicates observation at the microscopic level. A microstructure-based discrete element model of snow has been developed and utilized to study snow failure under mixed-mode loading. Depending on applied normal stress, three distinct failure regimes are identified, characterized by different volumetric responses. Shear-induced macroscopic collapse is observed to develop above a critical level of normal stress. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms leading to this volumetric collapse is investigated on the microscopic scale. Force chain buckling within the snow sample leads to volumetric collapse, while stable force chains result in a localized failure and the absence of a volumetric collapse. The stability of the force chains is shown to be insured by the grain contacts between the force chains and the surrounding material. The ratio of contacts close to failure is identified to control the absence or presence of collapse after failure.

Only few rheological models in the literature simultaneously capture the two main non-Newtonian trends of non-colloidal suspensions, namely finite normal stress differences and transient effects. We address this issue by extending a previously proposed minimal model accounting for microstructure anisotropy through a conformation tensor, which was shown to correctly predict transient effects (Ozenda, Saramito & Chambon, J. Rheol., vol. 62 (4), 2018, pp. 889–903). A systematic sensitivity study was performed to provide insights into the physical interpretation of the various model terms. This new model is compared to a large experimental dataset involving varying volume fractions, from dilute to concentrated cases. Both apparent viscosity and normal stress differences in steady state are quantitatively reproduced in the whole range of volume fraction, and qualitative agreement for transient evolution of apparent viscosity during shear reversal is obtained. Furthermore, the model is validated against particle pressure measurements that were not used for parameter identification. Even if the proposed constitutive equation for the Cauchy stress tensor is more difficult to interpret than in the minimal model, this study opens the way for the use of conformation tensor rheological models in applications where the effect of normal stress differences is prominent, like elongational flows or particle migration processes.

[Departement_IRSTEA]Eaux [TR1_IRSTEA]RIVAGE [ADD1_IRSTEA]Hydrosystèmes et risques naturels; International audience; The ability of viscoplastic fluids to self-select their flow geometry through the formation of unyielded dead zones has important consequences for flows in wavy channels, flows over obstacles, etc. Yet, the mechanisms controlling the formation and dimensions of the dead zones remain poorly understood. We present a detailed cross-comparison of experimental and numerical results concerning channel flows of a viscoplastic fluid over a rectangular cavity filled by the same material. In all the configurations studied, which correspond to moderate values of the Bingham number, a continuous dead zone forms inside the cavity. Both numerical and experimental data reveal that, unlike at high Bingham numbers, the shear-rate profiles above the dead zone display an asymmetric shape. Accordingly, two different flow zones can be distinguished: a Poiseuille-like zone, in which the velocity profile is similar to that over a rigid wall, and a boundary layer ensuring the transition with the dead zone below. It is shown that the effective boundary condition felt by the Poiseuille-like layer is essentially controlled by incoming flow characteristics, such that the thickness of this layer does not obey simple relations with cavity length. Interestingly, however, the thickness of the boundary layer appears to follow a generalized Oldroyd’s scaling with cavity length.

International audience; In this article, we investigate the internal dynamics (velocity profiles and shear rate) of free-surface surges made of viscoplastic fluids. Compared with fluids without a yield stress, additional complexity arises from the possible coexistence of sheared and unsheared (or pseudo-plug) zones in the flow. Expanding on the thin-layer approach of Fernandez-Nieto et al. (J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech., vol. 165, 2010, pp. 712–732), we derive formal asymptotic expansions of the velocity field and discharge up to O(ϵ) with respect to flow aspect ratio ϵ . Detailed comparisons between these theoretical predictions and experimental data reveal that, although the leading-order approximation (equivalent to a lubrication model) satisfactorily accounts for the global dynamics of the flow, considering O(ϵ) correction terms is required to capture the evolution of velocity and shear rate close to the tip. Notably, these correction terms are responsible for the vanishing of the unsheared layer in the tip region, a feature clearly observed in the experiments. Differences between the leading-order and O(ϵ) models appear to be enhanced by the viscoplastic character of the fluid. In particular, O(ϵ) correction terms related to the existence of O(1) plastic normal stresses in the pseudo-plug layer play a critical role. This study provides important insights for future development of consistent shallow-water models adapted to viscoplastic materials.

International audience; Snow sintering is investigated at microscopic and macroscopic scales with high-resolution cone penetration tests. In a cold room at −10 °C, vertical profiles of penetration force were measured periodically during 24 h using the SnowMicroPenetrometer in four snow samples, which differed only by their grain sizes. We estimated the evolution of snow micromechanical properties, namely the bond rupture force, the deflection at rupture and the number of ruptures per penetration increment, by applying a statistical analysis to penetration profiles. The upper part of the profiles is transient due to the progressive formation of a compaction zone in front of the cone tip. In order to explicitly account for this process in the statistical analysis, we used a non-homogeneous Poisson shot noise model which considers a depth dependency of the rupture occurrence rate. On simulated transient profiles, this analysis is shown to provide accurate estimates of the micromechanical properties. On our experimental data, the method effectively revealed that the vertical heterogeneity of penetration force was essentially due to variations of the rupture rate. Conversely, the time evolution of the macroscopic force was mainly due to microstructural bond strengthening. Both macroscopic force and bond rupture force followed a power law with an average exponent of 0.27 and 0.29, respectively. On our samples, a higher exponent for larger grains was observed on the microscopic bond force, while no trend with grain size was visible in the exponent characterizing the macroscopic force evolution.

[Departement_IRSTEA]Eaux [ADD1_IRSTEA]Hydrosystèmes et risques naturels; International audience; The mechanical response of snow to mixed‐mode shear and normal loading is the key ingredient for snow avalanche modeling and strongly depends on microstructural characteristics. A discrete element numerical model was developed, which enables the simulation of large‐strain response of snow samples directly described by their full microstructure obtained through X‐ray microtomography. The model offers new insights into the failure mechanism as well as postfailure response of snow in mixed‐mode loading. Three distinct failure modes are identified, depending on the value of applied normal stress. Above a certain threshold normal stress, the failure is characterized by a structural collapse that decomposes the snow sample into a set of cohesionless grains. It is shown that the collapse is a dynamic process, which, once initiated, develops independently of shearing. This behavior was consistently observed for different snow types, including faceted crystals typically composing weak layers.

We propose a new, minimal tensorial model attempting to clearly represent the role of microstructure on the viscosity of noncolloidal suspensions of rigid particles. Qualitatively, this model proves capable of reproducing several of the main rheological trends exhibited by concentrated suspensions: Anisotropic and fore-aft asymmetric microstructure in simple shear and transient relaxation of the microstructure toward its stationary state. The model includes only few constitutive parameters, with clear physical meaning, that can be identified from comparisons with experimental data. Hence, quantitative predictions of the complex transient evolution of apparent viscosity observed after shear reversals are reproduced for a large range of volume fractions. Comparisons with microstructural data show that not only the depletion angle, but the pair distribution function, are well predicted. To our knowledge, it is the first time that a microstructure-based rheological model is successfully compared to such a wide experimental dataset.We propose a new, minimal tensorial model attempting to clearly represent the role of microstructure on the viscosity of noncolloidal suspensions of rigid particles. Qualitatively, this model proves capable of reproducing several of the main rheological trends exhibited by concentrated suspensions: Anisotropic and fore-aft asymmetric microstructure in simple shear and transient relaxation of the microstructure toward its stationary state. The model includes only few constitutive parameters, with clear physical meaning, that can be identified from comparisons with experimental data. Hence, quantitative predictions of the complex transient evolution of apparent viscosity observed after shear reversals are reproduced for a large range of volume fractions. Comparisons with microstructural data show that not only the depletion angle, but the pair distribution function, are well predicted. To our knowledge, it is the first time that a microstructure-based rheological model is successfully compared to such a wid...

Rapid and large deformations of snow are mainly controlled by grain rearrangements, which occur through the failure of cohesive bonds and the creation of new contacts. We exploit a granular description of snow to develop a discrete element model based on the full three-dimensional microstructure captured by microtomography. The model assumes that snow is composed of rigid grains interacting through localized contacts accounting for cohesion and friction. The geometry of the grains and of the intergranular bonding system are explicitly defined from microtomographic data using geometrical criteria based on curvature and contiguity. Single grains are represented as rigid clumps of spheres. The model is applied to different snow samples subjected to confined compression tests. A detailed sensitivity analysis shows that artifacts introduced by the modeling approach and the influence of numerical parameters are limited compared to variations due to the geometry of the microstructure. The model shows that the compression behavior of snow is mainly controlled by the density of the samples, but that deviations from a pure density parameterization are not insignificant during the first phase of deformation. In particular, the model correctly predicts that, for a given density, faceted crystals are less resistant to compression than rounded grains or decomposed snow. For larger compression strains, no clear differences between snow types are observed.

[Departement_IRSTEA]Eaux [TR1_IRSTEA]RIVAGE; International audience; This paper presents an experimental characterization of the flow of an elasto-viscoplastic fluid (Carbopol) over a dead zone constituted of the same material. The studied configuration consists of a closed rectangular channel with a cavity in its base. A curved solid-fluid interface forms into the cavity, separating a yielded flowing layer above from an unyielded dead zone below. The hydrodynamics of the flow is investigated by means of high-resolution optical velocimetry (PIV). We focus in particular on the velocity profiles and shear-rate evolution in a quasi-longitudinal flow domain located around cavity mid-length. Our measurements show a non-monotonous evolution of the shear rate, which increases from zero at the solid-liquid interface, passes through a peak (sometimes leveling off at its maximum value), and returns to zero in a plug zone sufficiently far above the cavity. Two main flow zones can be distinguished: a Poiseuille zone, in which velocity profiles are the same as in the flow over a rigid wall, and a boundary layer ensuring the transition with the dead zone. Hence, consistently with our previous work (Luu et al., Phys. Rev. E, 2015), the flow self-organizes to partially smooth out the bottom perturbation. The characteristic thicknesses of the flow zones are shown to evolve with cavity length and hydrodynamic properties of the incoming flow. The study also points out the influence of elastic effects, notably on the shape (asymmetry) of the solid-fluid interface.

International audience; This paper reports on high-resolution measurements of the velocity field within the front of free-surface viscoplastic surges in an inclined channel. Free-surface shape and position of the unyielded plug layer inside the surges are also monitored. The experimental results are compared to the predictions of a thin-layer model based on lubrication approximation. Despite its simplicity, the model appears to provide an accurate description of the flow in most of the surge. As predicted, a 2-layer flow structure is clearly observed, with an upper plug layer progressively thinning towards the front. It is only in the tip of the flow, close to the contact line, that discrepancies with the model are observed. The plug layer completely disappears, and velocity profiles become sheared across the whole flow depth. The experimental free-surface shape also deviates from its theoretical counterpart. The distance from the contact line at which lubrication model fails, has been quantified for each experiment, and varies between 1 and 2 times the maximum height of the flow. In the future, this experimental dataset shall provide a unique benchmark to assess the predictive capabilities of more sophisticated flow models.

This paper presents a two-dimensional SPH model designed to simulate free-surface flows of dense granular materials. Smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is a mesh-free numerical method based on a Lagrangian discretization of the continuum mass and momentum conservation equations. The rheology of dense granular materials is modelled using a new local constitutive law recently proposed by Jop et al. (Nature, 2006). Of the viscoplastic class, this law is characterized by an apparent viscosity depending both on the local strain rate and local pressure. Validation test cases of the model in steady and unsteady configurations are presented. For steady cases (vertical chute flow and uniform free-surface layers on inclines), excellent agreement with analytical predictions is obtained. In the unsteady case, the simulations satisfactorily capture the dynamics of gravity-driven surges observed in experiments, including behaviours that are very specific to granular materials. Among the various parameters involved in the computations, the influence of SPH particle configuration within the flow and of the threshold viscosity used in the regularization of the constitutive yield criterion are particularly discussed.

National audience; We present a new experimental setup dedicated to understanding the dynamics of gravity-driven freesurface surges made of viscoplastic fluids. It consists of a 3-m-long and 0.4-m-wide inclined channel whose bottom is constituted by an upward-moving conveyor belt with controlled velocity. This setup allows to create gravity-driven surges that are stationary in the laboratory frame. Series of experiments have been conducted using a kaolin slurry characterized by a Herschel-Bulkley rheology with a yield stress of the order of 10 Pa. The shape of the free-surface was monitored by means of a laser sheet projected with a low incidence angle and ultrasonic height sensors. The obtained stationary surges systematically present steep fronts followed by a zone of uniform fluid height. We report on the evolution of surge characteristics (uniform height, front shape) as a function of belt velocity. These results are then compared to the predictions of a theoretical model based on thin-layer approximation. Searching for traveling wave solutions to the classical shallow-water equations, we obtain an ordinary differential equation for the shape of thewaves which, in the case of a Herschel-Bulkley fluid, is integrated numerically. The agreement between free-surface shapes computed fromthe model and those extracted fromthe experiments is good,including in the vicinity of the surge fronts. Lastly, we discuss perspectives offered by our setup for the study of viscoplastic surges with reference, in particular, to natural debris flows.

International audience; This paper presents preliminary experimental results concerning the internal dynamics of a free surface viscoplastic flow down an inclined channel. Experiments are conducted in an inclined channel whose bottom is constituted of an upward-moving conveyor belt with controlled velocity. Carbopol microgel was used as a homogeneous transparent viscoplastic fluid. This experimental setup allows generating and observing stationary gravity-driven surges in the laboratory frame. We used PIV technique (Particle Image Velocimetry) to obtain velocity fields both in the uniform zone and within the front zone where flow thickness is variable and where recirculation takes place. Experimental velocity profiles and determination of plug position are presented and compared to theoretical predictions based on the lubrication approximation.

Dry-snow slab avalanches are generally caused by a sequence of fracture processes including (1) failure initiation in a weak snow layer underlying a cohesive slab, (2) crack propagation within the weak layer and (3) tensile fracture through the slab which leads to its detachment. During the past decades, theoretical and experimental work has gradually led to a better understanding of the fracture process in snow involving the collapse of the structure in the weak layer during fracture. This now allows us to better model failure initiation and the onset of crack propagation, i.e., to estimate the critical length required for crack propagation. On the other hand, our understanding of dynamic crack propagation and fracture arrest propensity is still very limited. To shed more light on this issue, we performed numerical propagation saw test (PST) experiments applying the discrete element (DE) method and compared the numerical results with field measurements based on particle tracking. The goal is to investigate the influence of weak layer failure and the mechanical properties of the slab on crack propagation and fracture arrest propensity. Crack propagation speeds and distances before fracture arrest were derived from the DE simulations for different snowpack configurations and mechanical properties. Then, in order to compare the numerical and experimental results, the slab mechanical properties (Young's modulus and strength) which are not measured in the field were derived from density. The simulations nicely reproduced the process of crack propagation observed in field PSTs. Finally, the mechanical processes at play were analyzed in depth which led to suggestions for minimum column length in field PSTs., The Cryosphere, 9 (5), ISSN:1994-0416, ISSN:1994-0424

International audience; We present an experimental study investigating the transition zone between a liquid-like unyielded region and a solid-like yielded region in a yield-stress fluid. The configuration consists of a rectangular closed-channel flow disturbed by the presence of a step. Upstream of the step, a solid-liquid interface between a dead zone and a flow zone appears. In this study, we use a model fluid, namely polymer micro-gel Carbopol, which exhibits Herschel-Bulkley viscoplastic rheology. Exploiting the fluid transparency, the flow is monitored by particle image velocimetry (PIV) using an internal visu-alization technique. The main outcome of this study is to show that, except in a thin transition layer close to the solid-liquid interface, the flow behaves as an apparent Poiseuille flow with an apparent slip condition at the base. The slip frontier is found to be almost independent of the flow rate while the corresponding slip velocity increases with the flow rate.

This paper extends the spring-slider model of Segall and Rice [1995] for dilating fluid-infiltrated faults to include geometry-induced normal stress variations. Because of the coupling between normal and shear stresses on a dipping plane the shear stress drop accompanying slip is associated with a decrease in normal stress for reverse faulting and with an increase for normal faulting. This coupling stabilizes frictional sliding on normal faults and destabilizes it on reverse faults. When a fluid phase is present, these normal stress variations during slip events also trigger, through poroelastic coupling, compensating pore pressure changes: stabilizing pressure decreases for reverse geometry and destabilizing increases for normal geometry. Fault stability is quantitatively studied using two parameters: the critical spring stiffness k cr separating the stable and unstable slip domains and, when numerical simulations exhibit stick-slip cycles, the stress drop during the slip phases Δτ. As expected, geometric coupling is found to reduce k cr and AT for normal faults (in comparison with Segall and Rice's [1995] strike-slip geometry) and to increase these parameters for reverse faults. Poroelastic coupling shows opposite consequences. The combined effect of shear-induced dilatancy and poroelastic coupling is stabilizing for reverse geometry but can be either stabilizing or destabilizing for normal geometry, depending on the dilatancy magnitude. Nevertheless, the stability differences between the types of faults are primarily controlled by the geometric coupling between shear and normal stresses: For all the parameters we investigated, normal faults exhibit lower stress drops (and critical stiffnesses) than reverse faults. Finally, extrema appearing in the graphs featuring AT or k cr versus the diffusion rate demonstrate that the influence of the fluid effects is not maximum in the undrained case. Surprisingly, their influence is maximum at a point intermediate between the drained and undrained limits, when the diffusion time is roughly equal to the frictional relaxation time associated with stick phases. This phenomenon is presumably caused by subtle second-order mechanisms involving the instantaneous pore pressure changes induced by the poroelastic coupling in response to instantaneous friction changes and the interseismic pressure recovery process.

We present experimental results focused on the hydraulic properties of free-surface flows of viscoplastic fluids. The objective is to investigate the possibility of predicting macroscopic flow properties on the base of conventional rheometrical characterization of the fluids. The experiments are performed in an inclined conveyor-belt channel allowing us to generate gravity-driven surges which remain stationary in the laboratory frame. Two different types of materials are studied: Kaolin slurries and Carbopol microgels. Global height–velocity relationships and local velocity profiles are measured in the uniform zone for different experimental conditions (slope angle, rheological parameters). These data are then compared to theoretical predictions based on the Herschel–Bulkley constitutive law and independent measurements of the rheological parameters. Great care has been devoted to the determination of experimental uncertainties, including those associated with the rheometrical characterization. For Kaolin, the experimental results show excellent agreement with theoretical predictions. With Carbopol, on the contrary, a systematic discrepancy between measured and theoretical flow heights is observed. The velocity profiles do nevertheless remain consistent with a Herschel–Bulkley rheology, and we show that all experimental data can be explained by increasing the rheological parameters (yield stress and consistency) by 10–20 % compared to the values measured in the rheometer. Potential interpretations for this discrepancy are discussed.

Slab avalanches are generally caused by the collapse of a weak layer underlying a cohesive slab. The two key ingredients for the mechanical description of such slab avalanche releases are the heterogeneity of the weak layer and the redistribution of stresses via the elasticity of the slab. The finite element code Cast3M is used to build a complete full-scale mechanical model of the slab-weak layer system including inertial effects. The weak layer is modeled as a cohesive Mohr-Coulomb interface with cohesion softening which accounts for shear-induced collapse. The overlying slab is represented by an elastic layer. The system is loaded by increasing the slope angle until rupture. We first study the influence of a single weak spot in the weak layer in order to validate the model against analytical solutions. The interaction between two weak spots is also analyzed. The case of heterogeneous weak layers represented through Gaussian stochastic distributions of the cohesion with a spherical spatial covariance is then studied. Several simulations for different realizations of the heterogeneity of the weak layer are carried out and the influence of slab depth and heterogeneity correlation length on avalanche release angle distributions is examined. In particular a heterogeneity smoothing effect caused by slab elasticity and characterized by a typical length scale of the system is evidenced. Finally the model is coupled with extreme snowfall distributions belonging to the GEV class, which allows to recover with very good accuracy release depth distributions obtained from field data.

On the basis of discrete element numerical simulations of a Couette cell, we revisit the rheology of granular materials in the quasistatic and inertial regimes, and discuss the origin of the transition between these two regimes. We show that quasistatic zones are the seat of a creep process whose rate is directly related to the existence and magnitude of velocity fluctuations. The mechanical behavior in the quasistatic regime is characterized by a three-variable constitutive law relating the friction coefficient (normalized stress), the inertial number (normalized shear rate), and the normalized velocity fluctuations. Importantly, this constitutive law appears to remain also valid in the inertial regime, where it can account for the one-to-one relationship observed between the friction coefficient and the inertial number. The abrupt transition between the quasistatic and inertial regimes is then related to the mode of production of the fluctuations within the material, from nonlocal and artificially sustained by the boundary conditions in the quasistatic regime, to purely local and self-sustained in the inertial regime. This quasistatic-to-inertial transition occurs at a critical inertial number or, equivalently, at a critical level of fluctuations.

International audience; Snow avalanches generally result from the collapse of a weak layer underlaying a cohesive slab. We use the finite element code Cast3m to build a complete mechanical model of the {weak layer-slab} system including inertial effects. We model the weak layer as a strain-softening interface whose properties are spatially heterogeneous. The softening accounts for the breaking of ice bridges. The overlying slab is represented by a Drucker-Prager elasto-plastic model, with post-peak softening to model the crack opening. The two key ingredients for the mechanical description of avalanches releases are the heterogeneity of the weak layer and the redistribution of stresses by elasticity of the slab. The heterogeneity is modeled through a Gaussian stochastic distribution of the friction angle with spatial correlations. We first study the effect of the weak layer's heterogeneity and the slab depth on the release on a simple uniform slope geometry.We observe two releases types, full slope releases corresponding to a crown rupture and partial slope releases for which the traction rupture occurs inside the slope and thus only a part of the slope is released. The influence of slab depth on the relative proportion of these two rupture types, as well as on the avalanche angle distributions is also studied.

We present experimental results concerning the behaviour of two viscoplastic fluids (Carbopol gel and kaolin slurry) in a free surface flow configuration. Our experiments are conducted in a 3 meter long and 0.4 meter wide inclined channel whose bottom consists of a conveyor belt moving upstream with a controlled velocity. At channel upper boundary, fluid recirculation is forced by a rigid wall perpendicular to the bottom. These specificities allow us to generate gravitary surges that are stationary in the laboratory frame. We compare the properties of these surges (height and non dimensional characteristic numbers) to predictions based on independent measurements of the fluid rheological parameters. Lastly, the perspectives offered by the conveyor belt channel to characterize the rheological behaviour of complex natural fluids, such as muddy debris flow matrix, are discussed.

International audience; A correlation imaging velocimetry technique is applied to recover displacement fields in a granular material subjected to extended shear. A thick (10 cm) annular sand sample (grain size: 1 mm) is confined at constant pressure (σ=0.5MPa) against a rough moving wall displacing at very low speed (˙δ=83μms−1). Localization of the strain rapidly forms a shear band (seven particles wide) in which comminution develops. We focused on the strain field outside this shear band and observed a rich dynamics of large and intermittent mechanical clusters (up to 50 particles wide). Quantitative description of the radial velocity profile outside the shear band reveals an exponential decrease. However, a significant slip evolution of the associated characteristic length is observed, indicative of a slow decoupling between the shear band and the rest of the sample. This slow evolution is shown to be well described by power laws with the imposed slip, and has important implications for friction laws and earthquake physics.

We investigate experimentally the frictional response of a thick sample of simulated fault gouge submitted to very high shear displacements (up to 40 m) in an annular simple shear apparatus (ACSA). The frictional strength of our granular material exhibits velocity‐weakening consistent with classical rate‐ and state‐dependent friction laws. The length scale involved in the latter phenomenon is dc = 100 μm. However, the evolution of friction is largely dominated by a significant slip‐weakening active over decimetric distances (L = 0.5 m). Interestingly, these decimetric frictional length scales are quantitatively compatible with those estimated for natural faults. During shearing, a thin and highly‐sheared layer emerges from the thick and slowly‐deforming bulk of the sample. Because of the intermittent and non‐local coupling observed between these two zones, we relate the large frictional length scales in our data to the slow structuring of the thick interface.

The finite-element method (FEM) is one of the main numerical analysis methods in continuum mechanics and mechanics of solids (Huebner and others, 2001). Through mesh discretization of a given continuous domain into a finite number of sub-domains, or elements, the method finds approximate solutions to sets of simultaneous partial differential equations, which express the behavior of the elements and the entire system. For decades this methodology has played an accelerated role in mechanical engineering, structural analysis and, in particular, snow mechanics. To the best of our knowledge, the application of finite-element analysis in snow mechanics has never been summarized. Therefore, in this correspondence we provide a table with a detailed review of the main FEM studies on snow mechanics performed from 1971 to 2012 (40 papers), for facilitating comparison between different mechanical approaches, outlining numerical recipes and for future reference. We believe that this kind of compact review in a tabulated form will produce a snapshot of the state of the art, and thus become an appropriate, timely and beneficial reference for any relevant follow-up research, including, for example, not only snow avalanche questions, but also modeling of snow microstructure and tire–snow interaction. To that end, this correspondence is organized according to the following structure. Table 1 includes all essential information about previously published FEM studies originally developed to investigate stresses in snow with all corresponding mechanical and numerical parameters. Columns in Table 1 provide references to particular studies, placed in chronological order. Rows correspond to the main model parameters and other details of each considered case.