Introduction
Sonic waves are commonly used in geophysical studies of glaciers (Reference LliboutryLliboutry, 1964-65, Tom. 2, p. 536-51). This technique has led several authors to utilize sonic wave propagation in the study of ice sheets. Accordingly, they have investigated velocity and attenuation of acoustic waves during their propagation in ice sheets and glaciers (Millecamps and Lafargue, 1957; Reference WestphalWestphal, 1965; Langleben, 1969). Attenuation values in glacier ice are strongly dependent on the experimental location and experimental conditions. For example, frequency is a dominant factor and attenuation increases rapidly with frequency. The principal aim of laboratory experiments is to clarify the variables of acoustical experiments and allow for more precise field measurements, especially those dealing with ultrasonic waves (Kahane, unpublished; Dantl, 1968; Helmreich, unpublished).
In crystalline materials, it has been observed that the microstructure has an important influence on velocity and attenuation of ultrasonic waves, in addition to the effect of macroscopic defects (bubbles, cracks). The aim of this work is to show how the microstructure of ice influences ultrasonic propagation. In particular, we shall deal with the effect of plastic deformation on attenuation and velocity of ultrasonic waves. In effect, the motion of dislocations induced by stress waves is the cause of some anelastic phenomena. Several energy-dissipation models in the ultrasonics range have been proposed in the literature (Reference Granato and LückeGranato and Lücke, 1956; Reference Suzuki and ElbaumSuzuki and Elbaum, 1964). In our work, the attenuation and velocity of longitudinal ultrasonic waves have been determined over a temperature range from 100 to 273 K with frequencies varying from 1 to 180 MHz, using single crystals and polycrystalline specimens plastically deformed by creep. Annealing treatments were made in order to recover the anelastic properties observed before plastic deformation.
Experimental technique
The apparatus used has been described by Reference GueninGuenin and others (1972). It consists of a MATEC 9000 unit (pulse-echo method), an interferometer, and a measurement cell. Attenuation is measured by calibrated exponentials delivered by the MATEC unit and which are superimposed on successive echoes. The measurement range is between 0.01 and 4 dB/µs. The specimens (15 mm X 15 mm X 40 mm) are mechanically cut and polished. Two opposite faces are made parallel with a special mould and silk-polished in order to obtain strong reflections of successive pulses of the ultrasonic waves. The length of the specimens is measured with a micrometer at 253 K. The problem of a bonding agent between ice and the quartz transducer is solved by the use of methyl-4.i-pentane. Specimens are compressed in a dead-weight creep machine up to 5% strain at 260 K. The opposite faces are repolished and rectified after every creep test.
The monocrystalline ice is obtained from the Laboratoire de Spectrometrie Physique de Grenoble. The c-axis orientation is determined between two crossed polaroids and more precisely by X-ray diagrams. The conductivity of the water obtained by subsequent melting of specimens is .
Results
The attenuation has been determined as a function of temperature for monocrystalline specimens for two different angles ϕ between stress waves and c-axis. Figure 1 shows attenuation versus temperature for a ϕ = 45° specimen, before deformation, after 5% strain, and after annealing treatments (150 h and 300 h at 271 K). Attenuation increases considerably with strain. A micrographie study shows glide bands parallel to the basal plane of the crystals, consistent with basal glide on the system (0001)<1120>. After 150 h at 271 K recrystallization occurs and new grains appear. The recovery of attenuation is nearly complete after 300 h at 271 K.
Similar curves are shown for a ϕ = 0° specimen in Figure 2. The increase after deformation is weaker than for the ϕ = 45° specimen. The recovery after 300 h at 271 K is less complete. Unlike the ϕ = 45° specimen, a micrographie study does not show glide bands and the specimen becomes barrel-shaped after plastic deformation. As in the former case, new grains are observed after 300 h annealing.
Velocity variations are calculated from the transit time of ultrasonic waves in specimens, thermal expansion being taken into account in the calculation of velocity of sound. Figures 3 and 4 show velocity versus temperature before and after deformation, and after annealing treatments. In both cases ∅=o⁰ and ∅=45⁰ plastic deformation has lead to an increase of wave velocity. After annealing treatments a decrease of velocity is observed, but not a complete recovery of the initial values. Figure 5 shows attenuation versus strain for poly- arid mono-crystalline specimens. To specify the variations of propagation characteristics due to deformation we have collected on Figure 6 attenuation values versus wave frequency for a ϕ = 45° specimen before and after deformation (ϵ = 5%). Very high values of attenuation are reached above 75 MHz for the strained specimen. Figure 7 shows similar results for a ϕ= 0° specimen strained only 2%.
Discussion
Causes of attenuation of ultrasonic waves in ice have been discussed by Dantl (1968). We shall limit the discussion to the effects of plastic deformation.
In our ultrasonic frequency range, point defects are generally not able to induce a measurable attenuation. On the contrary, motion of dislocations under a stress wave is responsible for energy dissipation leading to attenuation. Dislocation motion in ice is not yet fully explained. This motion may be considered as diffusion of kinks along the dislocation line and is possible only if water molecules ahead of the dislocation line are favorably oriented. This orientation is made easy, thanks to Bjerrum defects (Reference GlenGlen, 1968), If such motion really occurs under the influence of the ultrasonic stress wave, we should observe a strong dependence of propagation characteristics on temperature. In fact, this dependence is very weak (Fig. 1 to 4). We must therefore consider the forward movement of a kink as limited to the distance between two water molecules not favorably oriented and its mean value can be taken equal to 2b where b is the Burgers vector of the dislocation (Perez and others, in press).
The assumption of kink motion has led us to an energy dissipation model previously developed by Suzuki and Elbaum ( 1964). In effect, if the strain associated with the stress wave is weak (this is the case of our experiments), we can consider kink displacements less than b and this model leads to theoretical values of the attenuation and velocity anomaly of ultrasonic waves given by:
where α is the attenuation in dB/μs, G the shear modulus, m the effective mass of a kink, N the density of kinks, w the wave frequency (ω=2πv), ω₀ the resonance frequency of kink, B the damping coefficient, and v and v 0 are the wave velocity in the crystal with and without dislocations respectively.
If frequency w is small compared with w 0 we can consider the simplified relation:
In order to verify the variation of attenuation with frequency we have plotted in Figure 8 the attenuation due to plastic deformation versus frequency squared from our results of Figures 6 and 7. To the first approximation this law is verified, and shows that the increase of attenuation can be due to dislocations.
With usual values for ice (Suzuki and Elbaum, 1964; Reference Vandevander and ItagakiVandevander and Itagaki, 1973): an estimation of w 0 for the 5% and 2% strained specimen of
and a value of N of 1012 cm-3 (which corresponds to a dislocation density 106cm-2), we have found a good agreement between theoretical and experimental values for attenuation However the theoretical value of the velocity anomaly, corresponds to a decrease of velocity. In our experiments we have found an increase of 2% after plastic deformation. If the increase of attenuation is to be rationally explained on the Suzuki and Elbaum model, velocity variation is certainly not due only to the increase of dislocation density after plastic deformation.
The recrystallization on one hand, and the difference between the ϕ = 45° and ϕ = 0° specimens on the other hand, confirm that dislocations play a role in the characteristics of propagation of ultrasonic waves. In effect, the principal glide system (basal plane) is easily activated during creep in the case of ϕ = 45°, but the situation is not so simple in the case ϕ = 0°. One can think that either there is a sufficiently high component of stress in the basal plane due to experimental difficulties in cutting specimens exactly with ϕ = 0° angle, or, an alternative suggestion worth examination, non-basal glide may be considered. The former assumption is in agreement with the fact that the yield stress for non-basal system is roughly ten times that of basal glide. The latter assumption has received support from the works of Reference Muguruma and HigashiMuguruma and Higashi {1963), Reference TegartTegart (1964), and Reference Levi, Levi, de Achaval and SuraskiLevi and others (1965).
But whatever assumption is considered, plastic deformation leads to a different structure and/or distribution of dislocations and that may explain the difference observed between the two types of specimens. Furthermore, since recryslallization occurs after annealing treatments in both cases, microstructure becomes similar. So the same values of attenuation after annealing are to be expected. The anomalous result for velocity seems to us to be connected with the observations of Reference Dantl and Riehl, N.Dantl (1969) dealing with elastic constant measurements; ageing effects were observed which led to decreases of modulus and of density of freshly grown ice. This effect is not yet very well explained and it could be due, either to a protonic rearrangement leading to equilibrium during the ageing process, or a decrease of the number of interstitial water molecules to the value of thermal equilibrium concentration.
During our experiments, we think that plastic deformation leads the ice to a structure similar to that of freshly grown material. In other words, plastic deformation may be responsible for protonic rearrangement or formation of interstitial water molecules, and that could explain the increase of velocity we have observed. This effect on velocity can be quantitatively compared with the ageing effects on modulus and on density as reported by Dantl (1969) (respectively —5% and —3%) which correspond to a decrease of velocity of 2.3%. This value is of the same order as our experimental values as can be seen on Figures 3 and 4. In addition, the experiments of Reference Noll, Whalley, Whalley, Jones and GoldNoll (1973) concerning dielectric properties of strained ice are in agreement with this assumption.
Annealing treatments at 271 K allow an ageing effect which recovers properties, in particular velocity, screening variations connected with the dislocation density modification. Furthermore kinetics for the recoveries of velocity and attenuation are not similar; recovery of attenuation agrees with the recrystaltization kinetics found by Steinemann (1954) but the velocity recovery is faster. This last point confirms the existence of two processes for modification of the characteristics of propagation when plastic deformation of ice occurs.
Conclusion
We have shown that the propagation characteristics of ultrasonic waves are strongly dependent on the microstructure of ice. Plastic deformation leads to an increase of the velocity and especially of the attenuation. In order to explain this effect, we have considered two different processes. In effect, the multiplication of linear defects during plastic deformation cannot explain increases of both attenuation and velocity. We must also consider that plastic deformation leads ice to a structure similar to that of freshly grown material, Consequently our work shows that it is necessary to be careful in explaining and using results obtained from experiments dealing with acoustic and ultrasonic wave propagation in ice.
Discussion
S. J. JONES: DO you know the initial dislocation content of your crystals, that is before deformation?
J. TATIBOUET: Unfortunately the initial dislocation density is not known, but similar crystals were studied by Dr Klinger in Grenoble, and such work gives us an estimate of dislocation density of around 104 cm-2.