Brief communication: Full-field deformation measurement for uniaxial compression of sea ice using the digital image correlation method

Abstract

The study of the mechanical properties of sea ice benefits the parameterization of sea-ice numerical models and the optimization of engineering design. Deformation measurement of sea ice has been seen as the essential foundation for the study of these properties. However, this measurement has proved to be difficult due to the complex and nonhomogeneous mechanical properties of sea ice. In this paper, we took advantage of DIC (digital image correlation) to obtain the full-field displacement and strain of sea-ice specimens in a uniaxial compression experiment. Full-field deformations of sea ice under both vertical and horizontal loading were measured. Different mechanical behaviors such as microcracks and failure modes due to the anisotropic properties of sea ice were successfully captured. The nonuniformity and local concentration of the strain field were observed and analyzed. Additionally, we evaluated the displacement and strain field of the specimens to verify the feasibility and accuracy of the method. This successful application provides a convenient and powerful option for the study of sea-ice mechanical properties including failure modes, nonlinear behavior and crack propagation.