Cold Rooms

Small Cold Room: approximately 27m² floor area; can maintain temperatures of -25ºC; used for preparation of ice samples for mechanical testing and experiments to determine the properties of model ice.

Large Cold Room: approximately 31m² floor area; minimum achievable temperature -40ºC; mainly used for preparation of ice samples for compression testing in 250 kn (25 ton load capacity) universal testing machine. Strength tests up to 2 m/s. The Room is divided with each side having its own evaporator and independent temperature control. Band saw, milling machine, lathe and jointer are used in the preparation of precision samples.

Specially modified microtomes are used to prepare thin sections of ice samples to study the crystal structure. Individual crystals can also be measured spatially in a special universal stage. Photography and micro-photography equipment are available. Outside the cold room are the control systems, data acquisition systems, computers, chart recorders and video monitors.