Observation of crack propagation in saline ice and freshwater ice with fluid inclusion

Abstract

A key process of crack propagation in saline ice is the interaction between the crack and fluid inclusions. We observed their interaction in freshwater ice using very high-speed photography (VHSP) and found that the low-density fluids (air and inert liquid, Fluorinert, 1.78 g/cm3) could not impede the crack effectively, interrupting the propagation for less than 10 µs. The high-density liquid mercury, (13.8 g/cm3) impeded the crack more effectively, stalling the development of the crack for more than 20 µs. The crack velocity in saline ice was measured using two different methods: electrical resistance method (ERM) and VHSP. These two methods returned very different mean velocities, 15 m/s for the ERM and 250 m/s for the VHSP. We found that in ice with conductive liquid inclusions, the ERM measured the time it took to break liquid bridges stretched across a crack rather than the crack velocity. Results from the VHSP show that the maximum crack velocity in saline ice was 500 m/s, which is one-half of that found in freshwater ice. From our results using freshwater ice with inclusions, we conclude that liquid inclusions in saline ice may play a role in this retardation. PACS No.: 62.20Mk