POLAR TRANSPORTATION - SNOW TRAILS FOR LIGHT WHEELED VEHICLES.

• Main Authors: Moser, E. H., Jr., Sherwood, G. E.
• Other Authors: NAVAL CIVIL ENGINEERING LAB PORT HUENEME CA
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1967
• Subjects: Surface Transportation and Equipment; Snow; Ice and Permafrost; *TRANSPORTATION; POLAR REGIONS; VEHICLES; FLOTATION; TIRES; MAINTENANCE; TRAFFIC; TRACKED VEHICLES; TRACTORS; Byrd; Byrd Station; McMurdo Station; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0819606; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0819606

Rapid ground transportation for high-activity polar operations is often required to support outlying facilities during development and to service temporary work centers on snow and ice. Light vehicles with high-flotation tires can usually travel over wind-packed snow at temperatures below 10 F but prepared trails are needed on new, soft drift snow and on other snow surfaces at temperatures near 30 F. At McMurdo Station, Antarctica, 24-hour-old snow trails built with low-ground-pressure snow tractors were traveled by 10,000-pound (GVW) vehicles fitted with high-flotation tires inflated up to 10 psig. Continued traffic improved these trails except when they became drifted over with deep, soft snow. Even then, traffic was resumed within 8 hours after the drift snow was leveled and compacted. In high-activity areas such as that around McMurdo Station, snow trails permit the use of wheeled vehicles to provide rapid ground transportation to outlying areas during emergencies and the construction of high-strength snow roads. In low-activity areas such as Byrd Station, Antarctica, unmaintained equipment-packed trails are of marginal value for wheeled traffic with existing vehicles and maintenance techniques. It is recommended that snow trails be used in polar operations to initially support new and temporary work centers on snow and ice where the requirements and density of traffic demand such support, and that they be used to support outlying areas where speed is required but density and type of traffic do not warrant high-grade snow roads. (Author)