Mechanics of saline ice rubble

对能源需求的持续增长推动了北极和北方环境的油气勘探。虽然行业在这一相对较新的专业领域不断发展，但在石油和天然气基础设施的工程设计方面仍然存在知识差距，以承受冰荷载。海冰是一种复杂的物质，可以以多种不同的形状和形式存在。冰砾是当一个完整的冰盖与另一个冰盖或障碍物接触时形成的冰碎片的堆积。北极的共同特征是海冰脊，这是在巨大的碎石堆形成时出现的。由于这些特征的尺寸，它们通常对结构和船舶施加最大的载荷，因此它们受到工业界的极大关注。此外，它们还可能凿穿海底，危及管道和海底基础设施。目前，不可能可靠地估计山脊可以施加在结构上的载荷，因为这取决于山脊的年龄和组成，结构类型和破坏模式。这部分是由于缺乏对冰碎石的物理和机械特性如何影响这些参数以及这些参数如何随时间和地点而变化的理解。了解这些过程在每一个尺度（个别冰块强度，块间粘结强度，冰碎石强度），并与冰脊负荷模型的连接是至关重要的，以解决目前的知识和方法的差距，是这项工作的主要重点。盐冰碎石力学是一个为期五年的项目，旨在更好地了解冰碎石与结构或海底相互作用时有助于冰碎石强度的基本力学和关键物理参数。该项目团队将进行数值模拟和实验室测试，以研究冰碎石的热机械行为。该项目的结果将有助于开发新的工程方法，给出合理的冰脊荷载估计，反映托换物理，适合于实际设计。该计划还将通过培训新的HQP，帮助提高纽芬兰和拉布拉多的研究能力，这对该地区在与冰有关的工程设计和开发方面继续保持领导地位至关重要。

The continuously increasing demand for energy has pushed hydrocarbon exploration into Arctic and northern environments. While industry is evolving in this relatively new area of expertise, knowledge gaps remain in the engineering of oil and gas infrastructure to withstand ice loading. Sea ice is a complex material that can be found in a number of different shapes and forms. Ice rubble is an accumulation of ice fragments formed when an intact ice sheet comes into contact with another ice sheet or an obstacle. Common features in the Arctic are sea ice ridges, which occur when huge piles of rubble form. Due to the size of these features they often impose the greatest loads on structures and vessels, and as such they are of great concern to industry. In addition, they can gouge the seafloor endangering pipelines and subsea infrastructure. At present it is not possible to reliably estimate what load a ridge can exert on a structure since this depends on the age and composition of the ridge, the type of structure and the mode of failure. This is in part due to lack of understanding of how the physical and mechanical properties of ice rubble affect these parameters and how these vary with time and location. Understanding these processes at each scale (individual ice block strength, inter-block bond strength, ice rubble strength) and linking with ice ridge load models is vital to address current gaps in knowledge and methodology, and is the primary focus of this work. The Mechanics of Saline Ice Rubble is a five year project that has been set up to gain a greater understanding of the fundamental mechanics and key physical parameters that contribute to the ice rubble strength when it interacts with a structure or the sea floor. The project team will conduct numerical simulations and laboratory tests to study the thermo-mechanical behavior of the ice rubble. Results from this project will help to develop new engineering methods that give rational estimates of ice ridge loads, which reflect underpinning physics and are suitable for practical design. The program will also help to grow Newfoundland and Labrador's research capability through the training of new HQP, which is important for the region's continued leadership in ice-related engineering design and development.