Study of Distribution of Deformations in Ice Composite Materials Using Integrated Fiber-Optic Sensors

The Arctic region features harsh climatic conditions. The region has underdeveloped industry and infrastructure and it is located far from industrial facilities. This specificity sets forth high requirements for functionality and reliability of materials to be used in the region as well as for various technical devices and structures made from them. In addition, durable structures require assessing the performance status during operations. Optical sensors based on fiber Bragg gratings are promising from the standpoint of monitoring the bulk of construction material. We explored distribution of deformations along the longitudinal axis of a sample in a matrix and in reinforcing filler for ice-based composite materials upon exposing samples to three-point bending. It was demonstrated that unidirectional ice reinforcement using two layers of basalt roving increases the ultimate bending strength by a factor of two. The approach proposed proved to be promising to monitor deformations in reinforced and unreinforced ice materials using integrated fiber-optic sensors by applying external mechanical effects and testing the samples under three-point bending.