Originally Posted by
MinnMan
Though the publication doesn't specify, I would assume that they are reporting Brinell hardness because the units are in MPa. Surely you recognize that that such units couldn't be Mohs hardness, for example.
I don't know for certain, but I doubt that a bicycle tire stud slipping out of an indentation in ice does saw by plastic flow of the ice, as would be implied by shear strength. The time scales seem wrong. Brittle fracture seems more likely, and therefore tensile strength.
Yes, I knew it wasn't Mohs... I was in a "listing" mood.
I'm out of my depth here. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that there's a complicated explanation which, fortunately, doesn't have to be understood to appreciate studded tires.
