Study on the compressive strength of rafted ice based on experiments testing

The rafted ice, as a form of sea ice, has a significant impact on the equipment used in ice-covered areas. Based on indoor testing, this study thoroughly investigates the failure modes and strength characteristics of rafted ice under uniaxial compression and compares them with single-layer ice. The research shows that when the strain loading rate is 10⁻⁴ /s to 10⁻² /s, the damage of the overlapping ice mainly occurs in the frozen layer, and the crack extends along the frozen layer. While single-layer ice exhibits three modes of ductile failure, splitting, and fragmentation, with splitting cracks occurring at different locations within the specimen. The compressive strength of both overlapping ice and single-layer ice increases first and then decreases with the strain rate, reaching its maximum near a strain rate of 10⁻³ /s. The experimental results indicate that the uniaxial compressive strength of rafted ice is generally lower than that of single-layer ice under the same conditions, with its strength being 0.69 to 0.83 times that of single-layer ice. This study provides important theoretical references for understanding the mechanical behavior of rafted ice and for designing ice-resistant structures.