The Ice Engineering Test Basin of the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory is a large refrigerated room where multiple ice sheets can be grown and tested each week. It was designed primarily for larger-scale modeling of ice forces on structures such as drill platforms and bridge piers, and for tests using model icebreakers and where the model penetrates up through the ice using vertical lift systems. The Test Basin has been used
- To measure vertical, horizontal, and impact forces of ice
- To study debris loading on structures
- To test vertical ice penetration
- To evaluate hull performance in ice
- As an ice-covered obstacle course for evaluating all-terrain vehicles
The Test Basin is located in CRREL's Ice Engineering Facility, a unique hydraulic research and testing complex; there is no equivalent facility in the world. At the IEF, the impacts of ice on civil works flood control and navigation structures and waterways are studied in three separate areas: the test basin, the flume, and the research area. Refrigeration systems and computerized data acquisition systems provide state-of-the-art operation and capability, and separate temperature controls allow independent operation of each area.
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Specifications