Ice stress-strain curve prediction in uniaxial compression loading in the objective of atmospheric icing risk evaluation

Atmospheric icing is a major cause of damage to electric power networks. During ice storms, “ice shedding off” cables and conductors can lead to major damage to power systems, mostly by mechanical failure. The brittleness of ice might be its most important and critical property possibly leading to hazardous events in urban regions, and involving equipment such as electrical power lines. To avoid or reduce the risks from this phenomenon, it is necessary to understand the mechanical behavior of ice, including ice strain, as well as its maximal strength and residual strength. The behavior of ice depends mainly on the applied stress and strain rate, as well as temperature, salinity, porosity, and particle size. As a fundamental subject on the deformation behavior of ice, the simple case of polycrystalline isotropic ice was chosen in this study. A methodology is developed to determine the stress-strain curve for ice as a function of temperature and several uniaxial compression loading conditions. Mathematical relations are developed for several loading conditions and temperature. The results of this research allow to predict the maximal and residual strength of ice, as functions of strain rate and temperature.