Aerodynamic Behavior of Snowflakes on an Uneven Road Surface during a Snowstorm

The removal of snow from a road or railroad results in an uneven surface and thus the formation of snowdrifts. However, the effect of a surface bump on the scale of a snowdrift is not clear. Snowdrift wind tunnel tests have long been performed to predict the snow cover distribution due to a snowstorm. However, such tests require a large-scale experimental device, have high installation and maintenance costs, and are not easy to perform. The present study thus used a small water tunnel that is easier to implement. The snowdrift pattern for the real phenomenon of a cube model was reproduced using the small water tunnel and the performance of the tunnel thus verified. The snowdrift water tunnel was then used to predict the snowdrift distribution for uneven surfaces. The tunnel well reproduced the snow cover distribution when the sedimentation velocity ratio and Stokes number in the water tunnel test were the same as those for the real phenomenon, again verifying the performance of the water tunnel test.