Friction of sea ice on various construction materials

A series of tests was performed at the Canadian Hydraulics Centre to investigate friction between sea ice and various materials such as concrete, steel, wood and ice. The tests examined the effects of the change in the friction coefficient corresponding with the deterioration of material surface, speed, temperature, surface wetness and normal pressure. A carriage translated an ice specimen back and forth relative to samples of various construction materials fixed to the tank floor, while measuring the normal and tangential forces between the ice and the sample surface. Results from the test series indicated that friction was higher at lower speeds and also on rough materials. There was a great deal of variability observed in the instantaneous values of the coefficient of friction. Temperature had a weak effect on the friction coefficient, with slightly higher values of friction at higher temperatures, and there was a weak trend of lower friction with higher contact pressures. The average coefficient of friction of sea ice on smooth concrete, painted steel and sea ice was about 0.05 for speeds greater than 5 cm/s and increased to about 0.1 at 1 cm/s. The average coefficient of friction of sea ice on rough concrete and corroded steel was about 0.1 at speeds greater than 10 cm/s and increased to 0.2 at 1 cm/s.Peer reviewed: NoNRC publication: Ye