Snow in the Construction of Ice Bridges.
Abstract
The idea of using snow to help construct or reinforce ice bridges is appealing for several reasons. If the existing ice is too thin for the proposed loads, machine-made or natural snow could be used to build up the existing ice to the desired capacity. This could be much quicker than waiting for the ice to thicken naturally, this allowing use of the bridge over a longer period. A snow layer might also be added as a buffer between the traffic and ice, preventing premature breakdown of the ice surface. Snow's contribution as a wearing surface, leveling material or reinforcement and then only by adding water and freezing the resulting slurry. Snow can be used effectively as either a leveling or wearing surface but natural ice thickening is inhibited by the insulating property of the snow. The snow should be of uniform depth and not mounded or windrowed to avoid deflecting the ice away from the water surface. This would substantially weaken the carrying capacity of the ice bridge.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA163118
Entities
People
- Barry Coutermarsh
- Gary Phetteplace
Organizations
- Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory