Laboratory Test for Ice Adhesion Strength Using Commercial Instrumentation

Abstract

A laboratory test method for evaluating ice adhesion has been developed employing a commercially available instrument normally used for dynamic mechanical analysis (TA RSA-III). This is the first laboratory ice adhesion test that does not require a custom-built apparatus. The upper grip range of ∼10 mm is an enabling feature that is essential for the test. The method involves removal of an ice cylinder from a polymer coating with a probe and the determination of peak removal force (Ps). To validate the test method, the strength of ice adhesion was determined for a prototypical glassy polymer, poly(methyl methacrylate). The distance of the probe from the PMMA surface has been identified as a critical variable for Ps. The new test provides a readily available platform for investigating fundamental surface characteristics affecting ice adhesion. In addition to the ice release test, PMMA coatings were characterized using DSC, DCA, and TM-AFM.

Thickness Dependence of Ice Removal Stress for a Polydimethylsiloxane Nanocomposite: Sylgard 184

“…17 The glass transition temperature for PMMA is ∼110°C higher than the ice removal test. This test case may be described as removal of a rigid object (ice) from a rigid substrate (a glass).…”

“…5 Our previous work showed that the effect of probe speed was negligible for P s measurements on the polymer glass PMMA. 17 Probe speed dependence was explored for Sylgard 184 coatings having thicknesses noted above. Figure 6A shows P s vs 1/t 1/2 for three probe speeds: 0.1, 0.05, and 0.025 mm/s.…”

“…This correlation is appropriate for rigid substrates where P s is independent of thickness and probe speed. 17 However, the inclusion of test results for elastomeric Sylgard 184 and the correlation of P s with w a overlook important variables of coating thickness and probe speed test parameter. The peak removal force of 291 ± 44 kPa for Sylgard 184 reported by Meuler happens to lie near the correlation line for rigid substrates perhaps due coating thinness (∼0.3 μm).…”

“…This test has been described in detail previously. 17 The range of motion for the upper grips (∼10 mm), the 3.5 kg load cell, and the temperature-controlled chamber are critical elements for this test. A force probe and a sample holder were fitted into the upper and lower grips as shown in Figure 1.…”

“…Ice cylinders were formed on coating surfaces at −15°C by using plastic molds. 17 Transferring samples from freezer to test chamber takes ∼10 s. The force probe does not engage the ice cylinder directly but rather the mold that contains the ice ( Figure 1C). The distance between force probe and coating surface was held constant at 2 mm.…”