IceFEM: A finite element code to simulate fracture and viscous/plastic deformation in ice

Note: This repository serves to preserve the version of code related to the publication:

T. Hageman, Phase-field fracture modelling of ice: From triaxial tests to ice-cliff collapse, Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cma.2026.118857

IceFEM is a parallel finite element code designed for high-fidelity simulation of ice mechanics, including:

• Phase-field fracture modeling for capturing crack propagation and ice failure
• Viscous and plastic deformation using advanced constitutive models
• Thermal effects and heat transfer in ice systems
• Large-scale simulations with MPI parallelization using PETSc

The code is particularly suited for studying ice cliff collapse, crevasse formation, ice shelf dynamics, and triaxial compression tests on ice samples.

• Flexible Element Types: Support for various 2D and 3D element formulations
• Advanced Material Models: Viscoplastic Glen's law, elastic-brittle behavior, phase-field fracture
• Parallel Computing: MPI-based parallelization for efficient large-scale simulations
• Multiple Physics: Coupled thermomechanical, and fracture models
• HDF5 Output: Efficient data storage and restart capabilities
• JSON Input: Easy-to-configure simulation parameters
• VTK Visualization: Visualization while simulations are ongoing, and output files compatible with a range of post-processing options

• Installation
  • Prerequisites
  • Quick Installation (Linux)
  • Manual Installation
• Usage
  • Basic Example
  • Running Test Cases
  • Parallel Execution
• Project Structure
• Configuration
• Documentation
• Citation
• Contributing
• License
• Contact

• C++ Compiler
• MPI: OpenMPI or MPICH for parallel execution
• CMake
• PETSc: Portable, Extensible Toolkit for Scientific Computation
• VTK: Visualization Toolkit (optional, only required for visualization during runtime)
• HDF5: High-performance data storage
• Eigen3: Linear algebra library
• RapidJSON: JSON parsing library
• HighFive: C++ HDF5 wrapper
• IgaFEM: MATLAB library for generating IGA meshes (https://sourceforge.net/projects/cmcodes/)

An automated installation script is provided for Ubuntu/Debian systems:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/T-Hageman/Ice_FEM_2025a.git
cd Ice_FEM_2025a

# Run the installation script (installs all dependencies)
chmod +x Install_ICEFEM.sh
./Install_ICEFEM.sh

# Build the project
cmake .
make -j$(nproc)

# Create a folder for outputs
mkdir Results

The installation script will:

1. Install required system packages (compilers, CMake, etc.)
2. Download and compile PETSc with optimized settings
3. Install Eigen3, HDF5, HighFive, and RapidJSON
4. Configure environment variables in ~/.bashrc

If you prefer to install dependencies manually or are using a different operating system:

1. Install system packages:

   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get install build-essential cmake gfortran libopenmpi-dev

2. Install PETSc: Follow the PETSc installation guide

3. Set environment variables:

   export PETSC_DIR=/path/to/petsc
   export PETSC_ARCH=arch-linux-c-opt
   export LIBRARY_DIR=/path/to/libraries

4. Install other dependencies (Eigen3, HDF5, VTK, etc.) in $LIBRARY_DIR

5. Build IceFEM:

   cmake .
   make -j$(nproc)

After building, the executable IceCode will be in the build directory. Run a simulation using:

./IceCode path/to/input.json

Several test cases are provided in the TestCases/ directory:

2D Triaxial Compression Test:

./IceCode ./TestCases/TriAxialCompression/TriAxial2D.json

3D Triaxial Compression Test:

./IceCode ./TestCases/TriAxialCompression/TriAxial.json

Ice Cliff Collapse Simulation:

./IceCode ./TestCases/IceCliffs/IceCliff.json

For parallel simulations using MPI:

mpirun -np 8 ./IceCode ./TestCases/IceCliffs/IceCliff.json

Replace 8 with the desired number of processors.

Results are saved in the Results/ directory as HDF5 files:

• results_*.hdf5: Field data at each output time step
• mesh_*.hdf5: Mesh geometry and topology
• Backup*.hdf5: Restart files for continuing simulations

Use the included MATLAB scripts, or a custom HDF5 reader to visualize the results.

Ice_FEM_2025a/
├── main.cpp                    # Main entry point
├── CMakeLists.txt              # Build configuration
├── Install_ICEFEM.sh           # Installation script
├── mesh/                       # Mesh handling
│   ├── ElementTypes/           # Element formulations (Quad, Hex, etc.)
│   └── Groups/                 # Element and node groups
├── Physics/                    # Core physics modules
├── Models/                     # Constitutive models and physics
│   ├── LinearElastic/          # Linear elasticity
│   ├── Fracture/               # Phase-field fracture
│   ├── PoroElasticity/         # Porous media mechanics
│   ├── Thermal/                # Heat transfer
│   └── Materials/              # Material definitions
├── Solvers/                    # Linear and nonlinear solvers
├── InputsOutputs/              # I/O handling
├── TestCases/                  # Example simulations
│   ├── TriAxialCompression/    # Triaxial test setup
│   └── IceCliffs/              # Ice cliff collapse
├── utility/                    # Utility functions
├── Documentation/              # LaTeX documentation
└── Results/                    # Simulation output directory

Simulations are configured using JSON input files. Key sections include:

• Mesh: Geometry definition, element types, boundary groups
• Physics: Active models (mechanical, thermal, fracture)
• Materials: Material properties (elastic moduli, viscosity, etc.)
• Boundary Conditions: Displacements, forces, temperature constraints
• Time Stepping: Time integration scheme, step size, duration
• Output: Frequency and fields to save

See the TestCases/ directory for complete examples.

For detailed information about the implementation details, and advanced usage, please refer to:

• Full Documentation (PDF)

If you use IceFEM in your research or work, please cite the following paper:

@article{Hageman2026,
  title={Phase-field fracture modelling of ice: From triaxial tests to ice-cliff collapse},
  author={Hageman, T.},
  journal={Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering},
  year={2026},
  publisher={Elsevier},
  doi={},
  note={In press}
}

T. Hageman, Phase-field fracture modelling of ice: From triaxial tests to ice-cliff collapse, Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 2026. https://doi.org/

Note: This code is provided for research purposes, and is provided as-is. While care has been taken to verify the simulation results, the author is not responsible for any unintended errors in the code. For detailed theoretical background and validation, please consult the associated publication.