Experimental Study on Moving Loads on a Floating Sea Ice Road

Abstract

On a 14.5-km (9-mi) floating sea ice road at the North Slope of Alaska dynamic load tests were performed with a 68-tonne (75-ton) gravel truck. The results were in good agreement with the theory of moving loads on floating ice and with the design concept of floating ice structures. In tests over a road with and without bumps, values for dynamic amplification were measured as high as 1.9 for deflections and 1.5 for flexural stresses. Vehicle test speeds ranged between 16 and 50 km/h (10 and 30 mph), the water depth from 3 to 8 m (10 to 27 ft) and the ice thickness from 2 to 2.9 m (6.6 to 9.5 ft). The test results represent a definite advancement of the state-of-the-art in design and use of floating ice for transportation.