Dangerous defect distributions in snow

Abstract

Because of an ever-present random distribution of flaws, the yield stress of snow is not a unique function of density but follows a statistical Weibull distribution. For snow of density 140 kgm⁻³, 50% of the specimen breaks at 6300 Pa, and the Weibull exponent is m = 2.1, very low compared with metals or even ceramics. This indicates that snow is inhomogeneous and full of flaws.