Thermodynamics and mechanics of ice compressive failure

北极蕴藏着丰富的资源，据信拥有世界上20%以上未被发现的石油和天然气。加拿大拥有世界上最长的海岸线，其中大部分位于北极地区。北方地区蕴藏着丰富的资源，包括石油、天然气和金属储量。加拿大制定了一项北方战略，作为国家政策的一部分。促进经济发展、保护环境和维护主权是重要目标。加拿大北部的发展意味着对自然资源，包括近海自然资源的经济开发。本申请集中于设计用于安全海上开发的设施（包括结构和船舶）的技术的开发。这里的安全是指人类生命和环境的安全。这意味着，作为本申请的主要焦点的结构系统被设计成具有对冰施加的载荷和压力的足够抵抗力。 在冰况下设计船舶和海上结构物时，了解冰压缩破坏的力学对于设计人员有效地模拟冰荷载和风险至关重要。目前，在设计中采用的是基于实测全尺寸数据的经验方法。拟议项目的主要目标是充分了解该过程的物理和力学，包括所有重要的热力学方面。本提案中提出的研究将有助于更好地理解冰力学的两个主要方面：第一，粘弹性响应，包括微观结构变化和相关材料软化的影响，第二，冰的断裂反映其极端脆性。这对设计非常重要，并将导致用于估计冰载荷的改进方法，从而提高安全性和增加经济效益。

The Arctic contains a wealth of resources, and is believed to hold more than 20 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and gas. Canada encompasses a large share of arctic landmass and the longest coastline in the world, much of it in the arctic regions. There are vast resources, including oil, gas and metallic reserves in the northern areas. Canada has developed a Northern Strategy as a part of national policy. Promoting economic development, protecting the environment and assertion of sovereignty are important objectives. Development of Canada's north implies the economic exploitation of natural resources, including those offshore. The present application focuses on the development of technology to design facilities for safe offshore development, including structures and ships. Safety in this context refers to safety of human life and of the environment. The implication is that structural systems, the main focus of the present application, be designed with adequate resistance to loads and pressures imposed by ice. In the design of ships and offshore structures for ice conditions, understanding the mechanics of ice compressive failure is essential in allowing the designer to effectively model ice loads and risk. At present, empirical methods based on measured full scale data are used in design. The main objective of the proposed project is to develop a full understanding of the physics and mechanics of the process, including the all-important thermodynamic aspects. The research presented in this proposal would facilitate a better understanding of two main aspects of ice mechanics: first, the viscoelastic response, including the effect of microstructural change and associated softening of the material, and second, the fracture of ice reflecting its extreme brittleness. This is of great importance for design and will result in improved methods for the estimation of ice loads, leading to enhanced safety and increased economic benefits.