On the inclusion of recrystallization processes in the modeling of induced anisotropy in ice sheets: A thermodynamicist's point of view

Abstract

In spite of the clear fact that annealing and recrystallization phenomena in ice sheets have their roots in the thermodynamics of polycrystalline media, most approaches seem to neglect it by proposing ad hoc theories which can eventually violate fundamental thermodynamic principles. The current work presents a useful fusion of modern concepts from the thermodynamics of mixtures with continuous diversity with recent development in the modeling of induced anisotropy and recrystallization in ice sheets. The fabric (also called texture) of the medium is described by a continuous distribution of crystallographic c axes, while recrystallization processes are assumed to be essentially driven by an internal variable representing the density of dislocations within the material. Among other results of this coalition, a balance equation for the dislocation density is formulated, as well as additional terms in the balance equations of mass, momenta, energy and entropy, associated with specific microstructural processes. By picturing the polycrystal as a mixture with continuous diversity, we discuss how the modeling of recrystallization processes in ice sheets could profit from powerful notions of chemical kinetics, which are related to the so-called dynamics of continuous reactions. Additionally, further topics like homogenization, comparison with earlier work, and directives for the construction of constitutive theories are addressed. © International Glaciological Society.