Foundations on Snow and Ice

Because snow increases in density over time and creeps under even small loads, continuous foundation settlement is unavoidable. This chapter describes a common solution to the issue of the poor bearing capacity of snow: using different spread footings, such as pad footings embedded to the depth where snow of the appropriate bearing capacity is available or footings set on compacted, processed, or reinforced snow. Alternative technologies, like foundation in the form of ice columns or legs similar to drilling jack-up rigs, are discussed. Even though pile foundations have limited use in snow constructions, the results of tests and fieldwork with piles are also presented. To maintain the long lifetime of elevated structures on snow, they have to be periodically jacked according to their settlement rates and require a gap between their platform and the snow surface. This chapter presents known solutions to lifting and leveling supported structures. At the end of this chapter, the foundations bearing on ice are discussed.