TY - JOUR

T1 - Mechanical and functional performance of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) modified ice composites reinforced with flax by-products

AU - Dolgodvorov, Roman

AU - Artemii, Cherkashin

AU - Ermolov, Yakov

AU - Goryajnov, Dmitry

AU - Denisov, Stepan

AU - Tsvetkov, Sergey

AU - Kasprzhitskii, Anton

AU - Lazorenko, Georgy

N1 - The authors are grateful for the financial support provided by Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (Project of the Advanced Engineering School of NSU), Technology asset limited liability company and Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

PY - 2026/7

Y1 - 2026/7

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - Arctic

KW - Flax

KW - Ice composite

KW - Natural fiber

KW - Polyvinyl alcohol

KW - Sustainability

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105037796305

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/ad597c4a-ee27-333d-9acf-352bdebf0a43/

U2 - 10.1016/j.nxmate.2026.102212

DO - 10.1016/j.nxmate.2026.102212

M3 - Article

VL - 12

JO - Next Materials

JF - Next Materials

SN - 2949-8228

M1 - 102212

ER -