Ice Engineering: Growth Rate of Sea Ice in a Closed System

摘要

A laboratory investigation was conducted of the growth rate and salinity characteristics of fresh water and sea ice under a variety of experimental conditions, in order to better understand the factors affecting growth rate, salinity, and brine drainage. The sea ice was produced in water of increasing salinity (a closed system), which produces ice that increases in salinity and generally has lower strength, poorer surface qualities, and a greater heterogeneity than natural ice. From these experiments, it was concluded that further tests and analyses should be conducted to determine the process of natural brine drainage and to find additional methods to accelerate it. Growth rate data of sea ice in a closed system, which was little affected by the increase in water salinity until three-quarters of the ice was frozen, fit general growthrate equations. Mathematical analyses of growth-rate equations and data from flooded and natural sea ice should be continued to develop a family of curves for the field determination of sea ice growth rates. (Author)