Experimental study on PVA reinforced salt-water ice under uniaxial-compression at arctic low temperatures

This paper proposed a new kind of reinforced salt-water ice with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) powder and PVA fibre for cold-region constructions. A total of 53 ice stub columns were tested at −60 °C to evaluate the compression behaviour of PVA reinforced salt-water ice (PRSI). Key parameters in this testing program included the length of PVA fibre, the mass fraction of PVA fibre, the mass fraction of PVA powder, and the saponification of PVA powder. The failure modes and compressive stress-strain curves of ice columns at low temperatures were reported. Meanwhile, the influences of different parameters on ultimate compressive strength, ductility index, elastic modulus, peak strain, and workability were reported and discussed. These results indicated that the new reinforcing type improved the compressive strength of plain salt-water ice (PSI) from 10.1 to 29.6 MPa, and the ductility of PSI was also improved. Considering the mechanical properties and workability of PRSI, the optimized mix proportion was proposed. Reducing the size of ice crystals and eliminating the stress concentration at crack tip are the reasons to improve the compressive strength of PRSI. Adding PVA fibre mainly improved the ductility of PRSI rather than its compressive strength. Moreover, a four-phase microscopic model of PRSI at low temperature was proposed to explain the enhancement and failure mechanism of PRSI.