News in Press-centre

Twenty tons of sea ice will be used for the experiments by the participants of the winter Ice Mechanics Workshop School in Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU). On February 16 young researchers went on the frozen surface of Novik Bay of Russky Island to explore natural material in natural conditions and to collect samples for laboratory experiments.

Ice Mechanics School was opened in FEFU on February 13 with the participation of undergraduate students and young professionals from Russia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Norway, and the UK. They got basic knowledge about the subject of the study from the cycle of lectures by the leading university professors and visiting specialists, and then they moved on to practice.

“The ice must be studied for several reasons: this is the global climatic aspect and technical issues related to navigation and construction on the continental shelf of the Arctic seas,” said Alexander Becker, Director of the FEFU School of Engineering. Drifting ice exerts enormous pressure on engineering structures, and by conducting experiments, we simulate these processes, which is very important to ensure the reliability of offshore platforms and vessels. There are similar schools in Canada, Finland, the United States, but only FEFU provides such training in Russia.

Winter Workshop School has been organized by the University for the third time, but this year the participants expect twice as many practical exercises. Part of the tests is performed directly in Novik Bay: the participants clean the ice and assess heterogeneity of the surface, measure the strength of natural materials, including bending, according to specific procedure.

At the same time, cylindrical shaped samples (cores) are collected at the open test site for their further detailed study in the laboratory. For one day the young researchers prepare about 50 such cores, each weighing several kilograms. In the laboratory they are used to study the structure, growth direction and the size of ice crystals, and to measure salinity and density. The most spectacular experience is the test of strength compression, where the destruction of a sample is monitored with the special test unit made by Shimadzu Corporation.