Investigation of ice-PVC separation under flexural loading using FEM analysis

Abstract

This paper presents the FEM technique applied in the study of ice separation over a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) surface. A two layer model of ice and PVC is analysed theoretically using Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and the rule of mixtures. The physical samples are prepared by freezing ice over the PVC surfaces. The samples are tested experimentally in a four-point loading setup. The experimental results contain strain data gathered through a data acquisition system using the LabView® software. The data is collected at the rate of 1 kHz per load step. A model is also coded in MATLAB® and simulated using the finite element method (FEM) in ANSYS® Multiphysics. The FEM model of the ice and PVC sample is built using solid elements. The mesh is tested for sensitively. A good agreement is found between the theoretical, experimental and numerical simulation results.