A review of the engineering properties of sea ice

Operations in ice-covered waters require good engineering to ensure the safety of personnel and the environment. In polar regions, the presence of sea ice is the main factor hindering the operations. It affects shipping, and oil and gas exploration and development. This paper looks at the stage of knowledge and applications of the engineering properties of sea ice. The physical properties (microstructure, thickness, salinity, porosity, and density) and the mechanical properties (tensile, flexural, shear, uni-axial compression and multi-axial compression strength, borehole strength, failure envelope, creep, elastic and strain modulus, Poisson's ratio, fracture toughness and friction) are explored. The paper outlines these properties for both first-year sea ice and Old Ice (i.e. second-year and multi-year sea ice). Although some properties are reasonably well understood (microstructure, salinity, flexural strength, compressive strength, and elastic modulus), others are not. Knowledge of Old Ice is particularly limited.