A Laboratory Investigation of the Mechanics and Hydraulics of River Ice Jams

Book excerpt: This report presents experimental results on the conditions of initiation of an ice jam by a simple surface obstruction, on the equilibrium thickness of an ice jam formed by accumulation and submergence of ice floes, and on the compression strength of floating, fragmented ice cover. In the study on ice jam initiation, it was found that the minimum concentration of floes in the opening of the obstruction at which a jam occurs is nearly independent of the ratio of width of constricted passage to channel width, and is proportional to a negative power of the ratio of floe length to width of constricted passage. From energy analysis of floe submergence, a relationship relating the thickness of a jam formed by accumulation and submergence of floes to the approach flow characteristics was derived and found to fit satisfactorily the experimental data. In experiments on compression strength of floating, fragmented ice cover it was found that the compressive strength is inversely proportional to compression velocity and independent of cover length.