Break-up of sea ice by ocean waves

摘要: The manner in which sea ice breaks up determines its floe-size distribution. This, together with any redistribution due to ocean currents or winds, alters the fluxes between atmosphere and underlying ocean. Many materials fail at stresses well below their flexural strength when subject repeated bending, such processes being termed fatigue. some a stress exists material will maintain integrity even if subjected an infinite number of load cycles. This is endurance limit. We report scries field experiments investigate fatigue behaviour first-year that situ cantilever beams bending zero mean stress. These tests suggest limit for ice, it approximately 60% strength. Using theory data from wave performed similar conditions experiments, estimates are made under wave-induced break-up occurs. indicate may be neglected ingredient sea-ice failure motion.