Breakage of Floating Ice by Compressed Gas Blasting.

Tests were made to determine the effectiveness of compressed-gas blasting devices for breaking floating ice sheets. Experiments were made on frozen lakes in New Hampshire and Alaska using the Cardox and Airdox blasting systems, and comparative tests were made with conventional chemical explosives. G...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mellor,Malcolm, Kovacs,Austin
Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER N H
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1972
Subjects:
Snow
Ice and Permafrost
*ICE
*ICEBREAKERS
*EXPLOSIVES
CONTROL
GASES
SHOCK WAVES
LAKES
EXPLOSIONS
TEST EQUIPMENT
FLEXURAL STRENGTH
CHEMICALS
FLOATING ICE
*ICE BREAKUP
Ice
permafrost
Alaska
Online Access:http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0755504
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0755504
Description
Summary:Tests were made to determine the effectiveness of compressed-gas blasting devices for breaking floating ice sheets. Experiments were made on frozen lakes in New Hampshire and Alaska using the Cardox and Airdox blasting systems, and comparative tests were made with conventional chemical explosives. Gas blasting devices were found to be closely comparable to chemical explosives in terms of specific energy consumption, but absence of any significant shock wave in the gas blast results in a different mode of action. The gas devices fractured the ice largely by flexure, giving large fragments. Practical applications of gas blasting for ice breaking are discussed. (Author)

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