Uniaxial Compressive Strengths of Artificial Freshwater Ice

Abstract

The uniaxial compression test was performed on artificial freshwater ice with a precise control-temperature unit compression tester of ice under -5, -10, -15, -20 and-30°C temperatures and strain rates ranging from 10-8 to 10-2 s-1. The loading direction was parallel to ice surface. The results showed that the compressive strength was very sensitive to the strain-rate. The uniaxial compressive strengths reached the maximum value at the ductile-brittle transition region, and the region was gradually close to the lower strain-rate with the decreasing temperature of test. Both the strain-rate and uniaxial compressive strength dependences could be expressed in terms of power function in the relevant ductile range of strain-rate. The tests also revealed that failure stress of ice increases with decreasing of temperature at the same strain rate.