Modeling Ice Passage Through an Auxiliary Lock Chamber with a Submergible Lift Gate

• Main Authors: Zufelt, Jon, Rand, John, Gooch, Gordon
• Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1993
• Subjects: Snow; Ice and Permafrost; Civil Engineering; *NAVIGATION; *ICE; *DAMS; *LOCKS(WATERWAYS); TEST AND EVALUATION; VELOCITY; SIMULATION; TRANSPORTATION; MODELS; RIVERS; LIFT; MISSISSIPPI RIVER; ACCUMULATION; MODEL TESTS; MATERIALS; PROTOTYPES; ICE FORMATION; WINTER; FLOW RATE; LIFT GATES; RIVER ICE; ICE FLOW; Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA268702; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA268702

River ice from the Des Moines and Fox Rivers combines with that of the Mississippi during spring breakup, resulting in massive ice accumulations upstream of Lock and Dam 20 on the Mississippi River. The accumulations in the upper lock approach area cause considerable delays to navigation, as ice must be passed through the lock chamber to clear the approach. A physical model study was conducted to determine the effects of using the existing auxiliary lock chamber to pass ice. The auxiliary lock chamber was fitted with a submergible lift gate at its upstream end that could be lowered to pass ice and clear the upperlock approach area. Model tests were conducted with real and plastic ice material to simulate the brash ice conditions encountered during low-flow prototype winter conditions. The submergible lift gate worked well in clearing ice accumulations from the upper lock approach. It was necessary to disturb the accumulation and keep it from refreezing by simulating towboat movement or high volume point source air bubblers to thoroughly clear the approach area. Auxiliary lock chamber, Navigation lock, River transportation, Ice passage, Physical model, Submergible lift gate, River ice.