Experimental Study of the Mechanical Properties of River Ice in the Harbin Section of the Songhua River

Ice load should be emphatically considered in the construction of bridges and tunnels, ports, and ice and snow landscape construction projects in the cold regions of Northeast China. Natural river ice is a typical anisotropic material, and its mechanical properties are greatly influenced by time and space factors. The axial compressive strength and bending strength tests of river ice were carried out at different temperatures and loading rates in the Harbin section of the Songhua River. The river ice showed ductile failure at low loading rates and brittle failure at high loading rates, with brittle and ductile transition points. The axial compressive strength and bending strength are sensitive to temperature change and increase with the decrease of temperature, but the mechanical properties decrease when the temperature is below −30°C. The test data provide some reference and data support for the calculation of ice load and the construction of ice and snow landscape in the Harbin section of the Songhua River.