Indentation and Penetration of Edge-Loaded Freshwater Ice Sheets in the Brittle Range

Abstract

A series of indentation and penetration tests have been performed by edge loading of a vertical indentor into a floating sheet of columnar S2 freshwater ice. The load on the indentor was measured as a function of interaction speed (v = 0.1 – 60 cm-s−1), indentor width (D = 2.54 – 12.7 cm), ice thickness (h = 0.6 – 3.3 cm), strain rate (ε˙ = v/2D = 10−2 – 101 s−1) and aspect ratio (D/h = 0.5 − 22). In total, 66 tests were performed. In this paper, a description of the test procedures is given along with the full results in both graphical and tabular form. Five different ice fracture modes are identified and described. From the test results, an ice-failure mode map is derived which indicates the conditions in which each ice fracture mode predominates.