The influence of climatic factors on the sublimation and mechanical properties of paper fiber reinforced ice as building envelope.

• Long-term natural environment experiments of composite ice were performed. • The cumulative effect of composite ice sublimation rate was explored. • A dynamic model for composite ice sublimation prediction was proposed. • The changes in the mechanical properties of composite ice were tested. The climatic adaptability of ice-shell architecture under long-term natural influence remains underexplored. This study investigates the weatherability of paper fiber reinforced ice (PFRI) as envelopes, including the changes in the sublimation mechanism and mechanical properties changes. The PFRI specimens were layered poured and exposed to nature. The sublimation rates, climatic parameters, and stress–strain data were recorded. The results suggest that PFRI sublimation is a dynamic process with cumulative effects. A calculation model is proposed to predict sublimation in engineering. Considering fibre escape, PFRI with 2% or 3% fibre content has better weatherability, with a 30% decrease in elastic modulus on the sunny side and a 15% decrease on the shaded side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]