The team, led by Johan Gaume and Christophe Jochum, built a custom experimental setup to carefully control the temperature, pressure, and humidity of the surrounding air and the ice sample. They then applied a known force to a multi-crystal ice sample and measured its deformation and fracture behavior.
The researchers observed that before applying the load, interconnected channels of liquid water formed between crystals. Once the load is applied, these channels can propagate and coalesce, leading to a brittle failure through the entire sample even under modest applied loads.
The team's findings could shed light on several phenomena involving fracturing ice, such as icequakes on glaciers and the formation of sea ice. These results could also open up new avenues to engineer ice properties and improve the performance of ice-related technologies, such as ice rinks and ski slopes.
