This study investigates the mechanical and functional performance of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-modified ice composites reinforced with flax tow (FT), a sustainable by-product of flax processing, and explores the synergistic effects of PVA and FT incorporation on compressive and flexural strength as well as failure mechanisms of ice composites. Results demonstrate that PVA enhances ice strength by forming polymer networks and inhibiting ice recrystallization, with optimal performance at 1.5 wt% PVA, achieving compressive and flexural strengths of 7.1 MPa and 3.3 MPa, respectively. FT reinforcement further improves mechanical properties, with a hybrid composite (1.5 wt% PVA and 2.0 wt% FT) exhibiting a 3.5-fold increase in compressive strength (8.1 MPa) and superior flexural strength (4.3 MPa) compared to pure ice. The composites also show more ductile fracture behavior, attributed to fiber bridging and crack deflection, and a delayed melting response associated with PVA-water interactions. These combined improvements in strength, toughness, and melting resistance indicate that hybrid PVA-fiber ice composites may be suitable for temporary infrastructure, ice roads, protective barriers, and load-bearing ice structures in cold region engineering.
Dolgodvorov et al. (Thu,) studied this question.