Fracture of River Ice Covers by River Waves

Abstract

The stresses induced in ice covers by river waves are investigated as a possible mechanism for causing transverse cracks during breakup. The maximum stress levels that river waves can cause in the ice cover are determined over the entire spectrum of waves that may be present at breakup. The ice cover is analyzed as a continuous elastic plate. For a given wave amplitude, the amplitude of ice-cover bending stress has two possible maximums: one when the wavelength is equal to 2π