Author(s): Magnus Gabrielsen; Sebastien Barrault; Fabrice Caline; Knut V. Hoyland
Linked Author(s): Knut Hoyland
Keywords: No keywords
Abstract: Physical and mechanical properties of coastal and level ice were compared. The study is based on the results from horizontal samples taken in March 2007 in Van Mijenfjorden, Svalbard, Norway. The samples were tested in compression and relaxation in a cold laboratory at the University Centre in Svalbard and thin sections were prepared. The results show that the physical properties of the ice are essentially monotone functions of the distance from the shore and that the differences between the ice closest to land and the level ice are important. The porosity varies with a factor 6 while the brine fraction varies with a factor 17. The Young modulus is correlated with the porosity while the residual stress is correlated with the brine content although both correlations are weak. The microscopic analysis shows that the coastal ice is granular while level ice is S2 in the surface and S3 lower down. The size of the grains in the level ice is comparable with the size of the samples, therefore it is important to check their direction when sampling.
Year: 2008