SnowMicroPenetrometer Applications for Winter Vehicle Mobility

Characterizing the mechanical properties of snow and their impact on vehicle performance could improve vehicle winter mobility modeling.

Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Hanover, New Hampshire

The U.S. Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Military Engineering Program on Remote Assessment of Infrastructure for Ensured Maneuver (RAFTER) Boreal Aspects of Ensured Maneuver (BAEM) identifies the need for modeling over-snow vehicle performance, as many factors related to vehicle setup and land surface condition contribute to vehicle efficiency. Accurately estimating snow macromechanical characteristics-such as elastic modulus, stiffness, and strength-is critical for understanding how effectively a vehicle will travel over snow-covered terrain.

Vehicle instrumentation data (inertial measurement units and vehicle telemetry) and observations of the snowpack (both satellite and ground-based) are necessary to improve the modeled estimates of winter vehicle performance. Currently, performance index is driven by snow depth and bulk snow density alone.