The Friction of Saline Ice on Aluminium

Abstract

The friction of ice on other materials controls loading on offshore structures and vessels in the Arctic. However, ice friction is complicated, because ice in nature exists near to its melting point. Frictional heating can cause local softening and perhaps melting and lubrication, thus affecting the friction and creating a feedback loop. Ice friction is therefore likely to depend on sliding speed and sliding history, as well as bulk temperature. The roughness of the sliding materials may also affect the friction. Here we present results of a series of laboratory experiments, sliding saline ice on aluminium, and controlling for roughness and temperature. We find that the friction of saline ice on aluminium ice-al = 0.1 typically, but that this value varies with sliding conditions. We propose physical models which explain the variations in sliding friction.

Friction of rough surfaces on ice: Experiments and modeling

“…= = cos (8) where and are respectively the upper and the lower limit of the CoF. All the possible orientations of the sliding motion are thus automatically considered, and the real value of the CoF is included between these upper and lower limits.…”

“…The study of friction between metals and ice is as struggling as important in a wide range of fields, from ice sports to motorized traffic [1][2][3]. That being said, the debate behind the origin of the low friction coefficient that characterizes ice surfaces is still open even after decades of experimental and theoretical research on both saline and freshwater ice [4][5][6][7][8][9][10].…”

In Situ Experimental Study of the Friction of Sea Ice and Steel on Sea Ice

“…The stiffness of a loading system has an effect on the stick-slip of ice friction [25,27]. Low machine stiffness enhances the tendency to stick-slip at low normal stress [44].…”

“…To understand the behavior of ice friction, laboratory experiments have been conducted on the friction of ice against ice [21][22][23][24][25], against metals [26,27], against coatings [28,29], against polymethyl methacrylate [30,31], against glass [32], and against rubber [33]. Several impact factors have been investigated, such as sliding velocity, temperature, normal load, and grain structure.…”

“…Several impact factors have been investigated, such as sliding velocity, temperature, normal load, and grain structure. Based on these laboratory experiments some physical mechanisms were proposed and proved, e.g., a water layer would be formed at contact surface by frictional heat [21][22][23][24][25]27,[30][31][32]. However, in most of these above laboratory experiments, small manufactured ice samples with well-prepared smooth…”