Published: March 17, 2022 By

The ME Course Column is a recurring publication about the unique classes and labs that mechanical engineers can take while at the University of 蜜糖直播 Boulder. Follow the series to understand the core curriculum, discover elective course options and learn the broad applications of mechanical engineering skills.

Most mechanical engineers will work with materials such as metals, polymers, ceramics and composites during their careers. However, a course taught by Department of Mechanical Engineering Professors Francois Barthelat and Franck Vernerey asks students to draw inspiration from another material 鈥 snow.

鈥淚 am a backcountry skier and as such, you have to learn a lot about avalanches and take courses for safety,鈥 Vernerey said. 鈥淵ou realize there is so much mechanics involved with snow.鈥

Francois and Vernerey
础产辞惫别:听Professors听Francois Barthelat and听Franck Vernerey
Header image:听Barthelat and Vernerey guide students through a slide test.

MCEN 4228/5228: Mechanics of Snow motivates students to look at their environment and the materials around them in an analytical way. The idea behind the course is to teach students the science behind certain phenomena by looking at the fundamentals of snow and ice from the atomic level to the mechanics of the snowpack.

鈥淪now in itself is an interesting material to study, you do not necessarily think of looking at snow in the context of mechanics of materials, but there is a lot to learn from this approach,鈥 Barthelat said. 鈥淭his is a great a way to expose students to state-of-the-art experimental and modeling techniques that people use in engineering.鈥

While studying the properties of natural versus artificial snow, the mechanics of sliding on skis and snowboards, or the conditions that trigger avalanches, students also master theoretical tools such as fracture mechanics and heat transfer. They also learn about the relationship between molecular structures, thermodynamics, and micromechanics, including viscoelasticity.

The professors explained that applying these critical engineering concepts to snow helps students better understand the information. It allows them to see that these concepts are real and happening in our environment.

鈥淲e often teach mechanics of materials and students are not always connected to the course because they have not worked with the materials before,鈥 Vernerey said. 鈥淭hey learn the equations but may have difficulties connecting them to the real world. This course allows them to better connect because they already have an idea about the material. They are much more motivated to learn.鈥

Students
Mechanical engineering students conduct slide tests on a snowboard.

Students in Mechanics of Snow conducted their own research out in the elements on March 10, after Boulder received about four inches of snow. They measured the densities of the fresh and old snow, assessed their compressive strength and calculated the snow鈥檚 coefficients of friction on skis and snowboards.

The class will take one more field trip outside to conduct strength and fracture tests on the snow before completing final projects to wrap up the semester. Some students are looking at avalanche conditions, while others are studying the impact mechanics of snowballs or snow construction such as igloos and walls.

鈥淎 big takeaway from this course is that students will be exposed to a vast number of topics in engineering and physics,鈥 Barthelat said. 鈥淚f they need these in their professional life later on, they know that the concepts exist and where to find more information.鈥

Mechanics of Snow is a technical elective open to upper-level undergraduate and graduate mechanical engineering students.

View all the Mechanical Engineering Technical Elective Courses

Related Stories

mechanics of cancer

ME Course Column: Mechanics of Cancer

Students learn how solid and fluid mechanics play a role in how cancer cells interact and form solid tumors. Taught by Professor Maureen Lynch, the class examines the experimental systems and technical evaluations of the disease to model and test cancer-related processes. Read more
CAD hand remodeled

ME Course Column: Bio-inspired Robotics

Bio-inspired robotics is the interface of biology and engineering 鈥 motivating the development of technology from artificial muscles and medical devices to gecko-inspired adhesives and robots that run, fly and swim. MCEN 4228/5228: Bio-inspired Robotics introduces engineers to this area of study. Read more
Flaticon icon image

ME Course Column: Design for Inclusion

The racial reckoning in summer 2020 led to an awakening in our consciousness 鈥 a need for everyone to look inward and tackle our own unconscious biases. Professor Janet Tsai is asking students to question these preconceived notions when it comes to mechanical engineering as well. Read more