Abstract
To study the influence of the changes in crystals on a micro scale as well as their effect on the macro mechanical properties of river ice and to mitigate the limitation of the objective conditions in a physical examination of river ice, it is necessary to analyze the fracture process of river ice using a micro numerical calculation method. Thus, a numerical model was established to simulate the cracking process of river ice based on disk specimen. Upon comparison with the physical experiment, the results of the numerical model show agreement with the fracture toughness and cracking process. Based on the numerical model, the obtained material parameters of Yellow River ice laid a foundation for the study of the cracking process of river ice on a macro-, meso-, and multiscale.
Highlights
River ice is a quasibrittle and crystal material
Ji et al [13,14] carried out systematic research on the interaction between sea ice and offshore platform structures that are based on the discrete element model
Existing research results need to be further enriched regarding the structural and material characteristics as well as the evolution law of microcracks of river ice based on the microscopic mechanics theory and the numerical simulation method
Summary
River ice is a quasibrittle and crystal material. The material parameters and structural parameters have always been a difficult problem in river ice engineering research. In the 1970s, Condell [9] proposed a calculation method of discrete elements to address the fracture mechanism of discontinuous medium materials. This method has been extensively employed in many research studies. Ji et al [13,14] carried out systematic research on the interaction between sea ice and offshore platform structures that are based on the discrete element model. Existing research results need to be further enriched regarding the structural and material characteristics as well as the evolution law of microcracks of river ice based on the microscopic mechanics theory and the numerical simulation method. The method can effectively avoid the influence of various objective factors—such as sampling, time, region, and environment—and the subjective factors of manual operation in the test process; it can promote the recognition of the mechanical properties of river ice materials
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