Abstract: Nonlinear high-energy ultrasonic testing equipment and the relationship between ultrasonic wave velocity (longitudinal and shear waves) and mechanical parameters of objects were used to study the mechanical parameters (Young’s modulus, Poisson’s factor, shear modulus, bulk modulus) of artificial ice samples under varying temperatures. Using MATLAB for data processing, the relationship between the velocity of ultrasonic waves in the artificial ice samples and the variation of ice temperature was obtained. Then, using a theoretical formula, the relationship between the variations of the mechanical parameters of the artificial ice samples with temperature was determined. The results showed that both the longitudinal and the shear waves displayed an increasing trend with decreasing temperature. Furthermore, the Young’s modulus, Poisson’s factor, shear modulus, and bulk modulus, calculated from the experimental data of the artificial ice samples, were also found to increase with decreasing temperature. This research promotes the application of ultrasonic detection techniques for the measurements of the physical and mechanical properties of ice, and it provides theoretical models and experimental data for undertaking research into the mechanical and flow characteristics of the Antarctic ice sheet, sea ice, and permafrost.

Key words: ultrasonic testing, dynamic elastic modulus, ice, temperature