Ice Scouring in a Large Flume: Test Set-Up and Preliminary Observations

Abstract

This paper describes an experimental set-up and the procedures used to investigate seafloor scouring by ice ridges in a 6 m long flume. Unlike in previous investigations, conducted in conventional test flumes or in a centrifuge, this set-up uses real ice. Its footprint is 1 m2. It also incorporates instrumentation to monitor stress distribution in the sediments during scouring, while acquiring deformation profiles of the sediment column. Other instruments include a displacement transducer to measure the vertical motion of the ice, a pore pressure transducer and a few cameras to study keel dynamics. The procedures and results of one fully instrumented test are presented.