27: Strengthening Ice

Professor Max Perutz is a Chemistry Nobel Laureate. He was born in Austria and left there in the l930s to study at Cambridge. He was considered to be an alien citizen by the authorities during the Second World War and was sent to work on a war project in Canada.

He and a team of exiles were set the task of strengthening ice. Their aim was to produce a large strengthened iceberg which could be used as an aircraft carrier for Allied planes in the North Atlantic.

What you will need

access to a freezer
ice trays
cotton wool
iron wool
straw (or any other material suggested by the group)
100g masses - quite a few will be needed for strong material
string for suspending 100g masses
some means of catching the masses when the ice breaks (e.g. polystyrene or other packaging)

What you do

Max Perutz’s task would have been much easier today. There are so many more new materials available.

Your task is to investigate the best material and conditions for producing strong composite ice.

  1. Use small ice trays to make your strengthened ice cubes.
  2. Measure the strength of the cube by fixing it between two clamps and suspending 100g masses from it.
  3. Try using different materials and different proportions of material to water.
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