Ice Engineering--Material Properties of Saline Ice for a Limited Range of Conditions.

Increasing operational use of ice areas in polar regions has intensified the need for improved knowledge, techniques, and procedures for utilization of polar ice in shore-based activities and floating platforms. A linear equation relating flexural strength (rupture modulus) with brine volume was developed for temperature range -2C to -10C for normal seawater ice. The analysis included data from large field-tested beams and small laboratory-tested beams. The stress-strain relationship for the small laboratory beams tested for temperature range -4C to -10C under elastic loading condition was found to be linear, while the elastic modulus was observed to behave as a nonlinear function of temperature. Limited sampling indicates secondary creep is related to stress and can be expressed as a material constant multiplied by stress to an exponential power; both stress and creep are temperature sensitive. In contrast to the results of previous studies, the basal plane of the polycrystalline specimens of saline ice was not observed to be the weakest shear plane. (Author)