Publications by Betty Sovilla | EPFL Graph Search

Numerical investigation of the effect of cohesion and ground friction on snow avalanches flow regimes

Betty Sovilla, Johan Alexandre Philippe Gaume

With ongoing global warming, snow avalanche dynamics may change as snow cohesion and friction strongly depend on temperature. In the field, a diversity of avalanche flow regimes has been reported including fast, sheared flows and slow plugs. While the sign ...

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE2022

Different erosion and entrainment mechanisms in snow avalanches

Betty Sovilla, Johan Alexandre Philippe Gaume, Xingyue Li

Erosion significantly affects the dynamics of gravity-driven mass flows. In snow avalanches, the snow cover can be substantially eroded but only partially entrained, however, there are very limited investigations to substantiate this difference. Here, we s ...

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD2022

The concept of the mobilized domain: how it can explain and predict the forces exerted by a cohesive granular avalanche on an obstacle

Christophe Ancey, Betty Sovilla, Johan Alexandre Philippe Gaume, Michael Lukas Kyburz

The calculation of the impact pressure on obstacles in granular flows is a fundamental issue of practical relevance, e.g. for snow avalanches impacting obstacles. Previous research shows that the load on the obstacle builds up, due to the formation of forc ...

2022

Three-dimensional and real-scale modeling of flow regimes in dense snow avalanches

Betty Sovilla, Johan Alexandre Philippe Gaume, Xingyue Li

Snow avalanches cause fatalities and economic loss worldwide and are one of the most dangerous gravitational hazards in mountainous regions. Various flow behaviors have been reported in snow avalanches, making them challenging to be thoroughly understood a ...

2021

The mechanical origin of snow avalanche dynamics and flow regime transitions

Betty Sovilla, Johan Alexandre Philippe Gaume, Xingyue Li

Snow avalanches cause fatalities and economic damage. Key to their mitigation is the understanding of snow avalanche dynamics. This study investigates the dynamic behavior of snow avalanches, using the material point method (MPM) and an elastoplastic const ...

COPERNICUS GESELLSCHAFT MBH2020

Quantifying snowfall and avalanche release synchronization: a case study

Benoît Crouzy, Paolo Perona, Romain Forclaz, Betty Sovilla

We quantify the synchronization between snowfall and natural avalanches in relation to terrain properties at the detachment zone. We analyze field statistics of 549 avalanche events in terms of slope, aspect, timing, coordinate, and release area, identifie ...

Wiley-Blackwell2015

Granulation of snow: From tumbler experiments to discrete element simulations

Michael Lehning, Walter Steinkogler, Betty Sovilla, Johan Alexandre Philippe Gaume

It is well known that snow avalanches exhibit granulation phenomena, i.e., the formation of large and apparently stable snow granules during the flow. The size distribution of the granules has an influence on flow behavior which, in turn, affects runout di ...

2015

Influence of snow cover properties on avalanche dynamics

Michael Lehning, Walter Steinkogler, Betty Sovilla

The destructive power of an avalanche depends, among other things, on the overall mass and the snow conditions in the avalanche path. So far, the knowledge on the effect of snow conditions on avalanche behavior is limited and largely qualitative. We invest ...

Elsevier Science Bv2014