Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice

Abstract

Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process that underpins this damage. Unfrozen water in grain-boundary grooves feeds ice growth at temperatures below the freezing temperature, leading to the fast build-up of localized stresses. The process is very variable, which we ascribe to local differences in ice-grain orientation, and to the surprising mobility of many grooves -- which further accelerates stress build-up. Our work will help understand how freezing damage occurs, and in developing accurate models and effective damage-mitigation strategies.

arXiv comment4 figures

References in corpus (6)

• Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation in an Elastic Network
• Stress accumulation around ice in a temperature gradient
• The generalized Clapeyron equation and its application to confined ice growth
• Cavity formation in confined growing crystals
• Surface Transport in Pre--Melted Films with Application to Grain--Boundary Grooving
• The Nonequilibrium Crystallization Force