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Modelling the fracture behaviour of polycrystalline columnar ice using the grain-based discrete element method

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Abstract

Based on the physical properties of the laboratory experiments, a grain-based discrete element model (GB-DEM) is developed to simulate the fracture behaviour of ice under confined compressive loading conditions. The microscopic contact parameters are successfully calibrated in the iterative framework to match the macroscopic mechanical properties of the single crystals and polycrystalline ice obtained from laboratory tests. The numerical results are in great agreement with the macroscopic mechanical properties obtained from laboratory tests with errors of less than 6%. Then, the GBM model is used to study the multi-scale fracture behaviours and failure modes of the polycrystalline ice under tension and compression under different confined pressures. The numerical results reveal that only tensile cracks are generated on the grain boundary in the direct tension test. More trans-granular contacts are failed with tension or shear when under compression loading. In addition, tension is the main failure mechanism of specimens under tension or compression loading conditions through the evolution of microscopic cracks. With the increase in confined pressure, the macroscopic cracks formed by microscopic cracks and the high-crack-density area induced by the grain breakage and boundary failure become prominent. At the same time, the number of shear cracks increases obviously.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from Harbin Engineering University. This research was also supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52192690 and No. 52192694)

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  1. College of Shipbuilding Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, China

    Guangshuai Sun, Shaocheng Di & Yanzhuo Xue

  2. Zienkiewicz Centre for Computational Engineering, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales

    Y. T. Feng

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  1. Guangshuai Sun
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Correspondence to Shaocheng Di.

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Sun, G., Di, S., Feng, Y.T. et al. Modelling the fracture behaviour of polycrystalline columnar ice using the grain-based discrete element method. Comp. Part. Mech. 10, 1877–1894 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40571-023-00595-w

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