FLATTENING OF A SCRATCH ON SINGLE CRYSTAL ICE SURFACE

Abstract

The surface of a monocrystalline ice sample was observed at −5 ◦C (268 K). For which it was superficially polished and allowed to evolve in the presence of activated silica gel for three hours. The evolution of a depression was studied using three-dimensional micrographs obtained with an Olympus OLS4000 LEXT confocal microscope. A predominance of surface diffusion transport was found in the evolution of the depression. This is based both on the value obtained for the surface diffusion coefficient, as well as on the values found for the exponents corresponding to the evolution of the depth of the well and its width.