| Title: |
Experimental Study on the Preparation and Mechanical Properties of Artificial Ice |
| Authors: |
Hua Lu; Dong Yang; Hou Zhong; Shihao Zhang; Jingbin Li; Zhongwei Huang |
| Source: |
Processes ; Volume 14 ; Issue 14 ; Pages: 2242 |
| Publisher Information: |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
| Publication Year: |
2026 |
| Collection: |
MDPI Open Access Publishing |
| Subject Terms: |
artificial ice specimens; droplet atomization; phase-transition process; ice particle preparation; mechanical validation; creep behavior |
| Subject Geographic: |
agris |
| Description: |
Artificial ice specimens with controllable particle characteristics and reliable mechanical properties are essential for ice mechanics research, polar engineering, and low-temperature technologies such as ice particle jet applications. Conventional crushed-ice and sieving methods are generally time-consuming and may cause particle melting, adhesion, and poor size uniformity. In this study, an efficient ice particle preparation process based on droplet atomization and rapid phase transition was proposed and validated. Nearly spherical ice particles with a size range of 100–300 μm and an average diameter of 166 μm were produced, and artificial ice specimens with densities of 903–912 kg·m−3 were fabricated. The preparation efficiency reached 2.16 kg·min−1. Mechanical tests showed that, as temperature decreased from −5 °C to −45 °C, the uniaxial compressive strength increased from 2.18 MPa to 6.49 MPa, while the flexural strength increased from 0.955 MPa to 3.925 MPa. Within the investigated low-loading-rate range, no clear monotonic relationship was observed between loading rate and strength. Creep tests indicated that lower temperatures inhibited time-dependent deformation, whereas higher stresses accelerated creep development. Overall, the proposed process provides an efficient and reproducible method for preparing artificial ice specimens for ice mechanics and cryogenic engineering studies. |
| Document Type: |
text |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
Materials Processes; https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pr14142242 |
| DOI: |
10.3390/pr14142242 |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14142242 |
| Rights: |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.640D9918 |
| Database: |
BASE |