The Influence of Ice Texture on Sliding Over Ice

Winter brings snow and ice to Northern Europe and with it the need to move safely over ice. It has been customary to select an appropriate material surface for movement over ice, but another way to influence the interaction with ice is to appropriately prepare the ice surface. The objective of the research is to investigate the influence of ice texture on initiating movement over ice and on sliding velocity over ice in the laboratory and field conditions. The ice has been prepared smooth, scratched and glazed similar to the one found in real life situations. The static coefficient of friction and the sliding speed have been measured at the laboratory, but the sliding speed quantified on a skeleton –at the skeleton push-start facility. The scratched ice surface has increased the resistance to movement, thus resulting in the lowest sliding speed under laboratory conditions. Sliding is better on the smooth ice and glazed ice. The contact surfaces have been measured to determine the effect of contact area on sliding properties. Field experiments with heavier loads have flattened the ice surface irregularities for more constant sliding conditions over time. This outcome provides a useful indicator for pedestrians and road traffic related to the safety of movement over different ice surfaces as well as a reference for those involved in winter sports.