Experimental Studies on Elastic Modulus and Flexural Strength of Sea Ice in the Bohai Sea

Abstract

This paper deals with measurements of the elastic modulus and the flexural strength of sea ice collected at nine sites in the Bohai Sea in the two consecutive winters of 2008–2010. Experimental results show that both elastic modulus and flexural strength increase with a decrease of brine volume and have an exponential relationship with brine volume. The elastic modulus is independent of stress rate, but the flexural strength increases linearly with the increase of stress rate. This paper presents a single-parameter (i.e., brine volume) exponential equation for the elastic modulus and a two-parameter (i.e., brine volume and stress rate) exponential equation for the flexural strength, respectively. Finally, the relationship between the elastic modulus and the flexural strength is discussed.