Hi I was interested to get some insights on how you would be able to instantly shatter an ice lattice. Instant instense heating of very cold glass for example will cause the lattice to break but i was interested why an ice lattice responds differently. Is there a temperature where it would shatter rather than melt? If not then why? 

I presume that a shattering can occur if a high intensity electrical impulse is applied to the lattice but I’m not sure how high the voltage would need to be or how it would respond. Does anyone know? And is there any way that the lattice can be shattered otherwise? Any insight by someone would be helpful. Many thanks.

Why (or when) would you expect an ice lattice to shatter?

 

A glass 'lattice' - if it can be called that - is not a true crystal lattice and always contains locked-in stresses or residual stresses.

It is these stresses that are responsible for the sudden shattering of glassy materials.

Ice, on the other hand, is a true crustal lattice and if perfect contains no such stresses.

So ice will only fail if foundation supports are removed by the initial impulse so the edifice crumbles under gravity or some other distributed force, such as surface tension.

Edited June 25, 20187 yr by studiot
spelling

6 hours ago, studiot said:

Why (or when) would you expect an ice lattice to shatter?

 

A glass 'lattice' - if it can be called that - is not a true crystal lattice and always contains locked-in stresses or residual stresses.

It is these stresses that are responsible for the sudden shattering of glassy materials.

Ice, on the other hand, is a true crustal lattice and if perfect contains no such stresses.

So ice will only fail if foundation supports are removed by the initial impulse so the edifice crumbles under gravity or some other distributed force, such as surface tension.

Thank you so much for your reply its helpful. 

Glad it was helpful and understandable despite the poor spelling (sorry about that), feel free to ask if you want any more.

 

 

2 minutes ago, studiot said:

Glad it was helpful and understandable despite the poor spelling (sorry about that), feel free to ask if you want any more.

 

 

Thanks if I have any more questions I’ll be sure to put them your way. Cheers.