AN ICE-SCREW SYSTEM FOR ANCHORING TEST EQUIPMENT ON TO ICE

In order to fix hydraulic test equipment to sea ice, a system using ic e-screws has been developed over the last few seasons in Antarctica. T he ice-screws used to date all have an outside diameter of 90 mm to ma tch that of a tapping device which ensures accurate placement of the s crews in pre-drilled holes in the ice. The lengths of the screws vary from 200 to 900 mm, depending on the intended use. The load-carrying c apabilities of the shorter ice-screws has been found to be typically 7 5 kN, and that of full-length screws was beyond the maximum force avai lable in the hydraulic test equipment, approximately 200 kN.