The Application of SAMOS-Avalanche Model for Winter Road Protection : XIth International Winter Road Congress

Sapporo

2002

VI-222

Serie

400095944

A coupled moredimensional catastrophic avalanche model has been developed in cooperation with the Austrian Torrent and Avalanche Control (BMLFUW, WLV, 1989), the AVL (Research Institute for Internal Combusting Engines) in Graz, the Department of Fluid Dynamics TU (Technical University) in Vienna, and the Institute for Avlanche and Torrent Research at the Austrian Federal Forest Research Station (FBVA) in Innsbruck. The results of the model are in good agreement with mapped field studies of natural disasters (Hufnagl, 1988). This mathematical model is used to forecast the run-out distance of the avalanche, the flow height, the height of deposition, as well as the vertical distribution of densities, velocities and total pressures. For the last year this model has been used as a tool to solve engineering problems (high way-protection) in cableway construction such as the influence of designs relating to be behavior of catastrophic avalanches. On the hand of three case studies by means the results of the SAMOS model is reported (Galtür disaster 1999, tunnel bridge Gruber valley and the affectivity of a catching dam for road protection).