Author(s): Garry W. Timco
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Keywords: No keywords
Abstract: Floating ice has been observed to fail in a variety of ways. Observations of ice show that it can deform in a plastic-like manner, break into small pieces, contain large cracks, and pile-up in large features that can contain a wide range of ice block sizes. In some cases, ice does not fail at all and it exists as large level ice floes. This raises the question: “Why does ice fail the way it does? ”. This paper explores the various failure modes of ice. The observations are related back to the mechanical properties of the ice and it shows that the unusual mechanical, rheological and fracture properties of ice can explain the observed failure behaviours.
Year: 2008