Experiments on sea ice fracture toughness in the Bohai Sea

The fracture toughness of sea ice is an important parameter to analyze ice load on offshore structures, and also affects the sea ice dynamics, such as sea ice breakage, rafting and ridging, etc. In this study, sea ice samples were collected in the Liaodong Bay of Bohai Sea in the winter of 2011—2012.The values of sea ice fracture toughness K_IC were tested under different ice temperatures, salinities and loading rates with bending tests of three loading points. The results show that the brine volume (as a function of sea ice temperature and salinity), and the loading rate have obvious influences on the value of K_IC. The value of K_IC decreases with either increasing ice temperature or loading rate. It has a negative exponential relation with the square root of brine volume. The results of this study will be a reference to study the fracture process of sea ice cover under ultimate conditions, and can also be applied to analyze ice load on offshore structures.