Byrd Station Snow Tunnels - Side-Cutting Wall Trimmer

Abstract

To prevent excessive snow-tunnel closure, equipment and techniques were developed for trimming the closure snow from the tunnel walls at Byrd Station, Antarctica. The system developed is satisfactory but time-consuming and laborious. At the present average 2-in./yr rate of closure, the walls must be trimmed at least every 3 years so that the space between the tunnel walls and the buildings does not become too restricted for the maintenance equipment. To permit less frequent clearing of the tunnel walls and to simplify the operation, a concept was developed for a side cutter which clears the tunnel walls in advance of the maintenance equipment, thus requiring no work space between the closure snow and the buildings. Based on the present rate of closure, this device could extend the frequency of clearing up to 9 years, resulting in both a labor and monetary savings over the existing system.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1967
Accession Number
AD0684445

Entities

People

  • G. E. Sherwood

Organizations

  • Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Antarctica
  • Civil Engineering
  • Cold Regions
  • Combustion
  • Combustion Chambers
  • Electric Motors
  • Engineering
  • Fabrication
  • Frequency
  • Fuel Tanks
  • Gasoline
  • Labor
  • Maintenance
  • Maintenance Equipment
  • Motors
  • Sheet Metal
  • Tow Bars

Readers

  • Aerodynamics/Aeronautics.
  • Polar and Arctic Studies
  • Software Engineering

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster