Abstract
The break-up of sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic has been studied during three field trips in the spring of 1993 at Resolute, NWT, and the fall of 2001 and 2004 on McMurdo Sound via in situ cyclic loading and fracture experiments. In this paper, the back-calculated fracture information necessary to the specification of an accurate viscoelastic fictitious (cohesive) crack model is presented. In particular, the changing shape of the stress separation curve with varying conditions and loading scenarios is revealed.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Modelling of sea-ice phenomena’.
Highlights
A fracture mechanics description of the tensile fracture of sea ice is sought
What is the problem with this approach? With the metals-based mindset of yesteryear, the applicability of the ASTM E399 ‘Standard Test Method for Plane-Strain Fracture Toughness of Metallic Materials’ was assumed at the outset to apply without validation, and just what the KIc and GIc notation really meant was blithely ignored
In the VFCM, the size-independent shape of even the rate-independent SSC is unknown at the outset, as is the exact form of the creep compliance function that must be used to analyse the in situ full thickness first-year sea ice fracture tests completed during the Phase II, A2 and A3 field trips
Summary
Sea ice mechanics ranges over a vast range in scales [1,2], with topics such as the laboratoryscale failure of ice under compression, structural-scale ice–structure interactions and mesoscale ridging, lead formation and ice rafting The study of such topics has involved the analysis of subsets of processes based on scale and their interactions with adjacent scales (table 1). This paper will discuss fracture tests conducted in 1993 (Phase II), 2001 (A2) and 2004 (A3) During these field trips, each in situ Mode I fracture test involved an edge-notched-square-plate (ENSP) configuration of side-length L and crack length A. The fabricated crack occupied the region 0 ≤ X ≤ A, Y = 0±, −h/2 ≤ Z ≤ h/2, where h is the sea ice thickness.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
