Mechanical Properties of Multi-Year Sea Ice. Phase I. Test Results

This report presents the results of the first phase of a test program designed to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the mechanical properties of multi-year sea ice from the Alaskan Beaufort Sea. In Phase I, 222 constant-strain-rate uni-axial compression tests were performed on ice samples from ten multi-year pressure ridges to examine the magnitude and variation of ice strength within and between pressure ridges. A limited number of constant-strain-rate compression and tension tests, constant-load compression tests, and conventional triaxial tests were also performed on ice samples from a multi-year floe to provide preliminary data for developing ice yield criteria and constitutive laws for multi-year sea ice. Data are presented on the strength, failure strain, and modulus of multi-year sea ice under different loading conditions. The statistical variation of ice strength within and between pressure ridges is examined, as well as the effects of ice temperature, porosity, structure, strain rate and confining pressure on the mechanical properties of multi-year sea ice.