FURI | Spring 2018

Fracture Toughness vs. Salt Content of Ice

This experiment was performed to determine the relationship between the salt content of ice and its critical fracture toughness. Water at different salinities was frozen and tested using a three-point bending test. It was found that as the salinity of ice increases, the critical fracture toughness increases proportionally. The resulting relationship between salinity and critical fracture toughness of ice can now be applied to seawater and ocean water in northern areas. This will spark advancements in a new field of technology that deals with the removal of ice from icebreakers and offshore oil rigs.