The U.S. Army Snow Ice and Permafrost Research Establishment (USA SIPRE) was requested by the Office, Chief of Engineers to conduct a small-scale test to evaluate the resistance of a rigid snow trench cover to the blast effects of a military explosive. The USA SIPRE field crew conducting research on snow structures at Camp Century, 138 miles inland from Camp Tuto, Greenland, was requested to prepare the test setup. U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station (USA WES) was requested to measure the magnitude of the pressure wave during the test. The objective of the test was to obtain preliminary information which would be used to estimate the probable effect of large-scale explosions on a snow arch roof. (Author).

This monograph summarizes available information on the response of snow to explosions and on the modification of blase effects by snow.

During the summar of 1960, tests were conducted on the Greenland Ice Cap to study the resistance and behavior of snow structures to dynamic loading from a surface or above-surface air blast of 4 or 32 lb. spherical cast TNT. A number of small-and full-scale vertical and full-size horizontal arches were constructed in processed snow pads. Arch spans and arch crown thickness were varied to establish a relation between surface overpressure and the ratio of arch span (S) to arch crown thickness (T). Some correlation was found for vertical structures but none between vertical and horizontal arches. The results show that, for the same charge weight and S/T ratio, the horizontal structures can withstand over 100 psi overpressure, while smale-scale vertical arches fail at 20 psi. (Author).