How does an icebreaker break the ice? Why is thick ice so fragile to icebreakers?

When it comes to the North Pole, the first word that comes to mind is cold! Due to the long-term ultra-low temperature, the Arctic is covered with thick ice. Do you know how thick the ice is here? What method did the icebreaker use to make the Arctic ice vulnerable before its eyes?

How is Arctic ice formed? First of all, we must understand that both the Antarctic and the Arctic are covered with thick ice, but the difference between the Arctic and the Antarctic is that there is a continent in the Antarctic and there is no continent in the Arctic. The largest island around is Greenland, and more than 80% of the Arctic is covered with ice.

In the Arctic, most of the ice is frozen from the deep sea, and the ice on the island is solidified by rainfall. In the development history of these years, glaciers are much stronger than rivers and ice you encounter.

How thick is the ice in the Arctic? As one of the four oceans in the world, the Arctic has the least arctic ice, but it is covered with thick ice, making it one of the most horrible water storage places in the world.

However, in recent years, people's over-exploitation and design have led to global warming, melting of arctic glaciers and gradual decrease of arctic ice, which is bad news for the earth. Because Arctic ice contains more than 1 100 million tons of organic carbon, once released, the global temperature will suddenly rise.

According to the survey, the total area of glaciers in the Arctic is much smaller than that in the Antarctic, and the ice thickness in the Arctic is also different, ranging from 2 meters to 4 meters, while the average thickness of Antarctic glaciers is 1700 meters.

Arctic ice is thick and hard. Why are icebreakers vulnerable?

Although the thickness of the Arctic glacier is less than one thousandth of that of the Antarctic, the thickness of 42 meters and its unique strength make it very difficult to break the ice, but it is a piece of cake for an icebreaker. Do you know how it works?

The structure of the first icebreaker was quite different from that of ordinary ships. The hull of the icebreaker is short and wide, with the bottom tilted upward first, and the first row is extremely small and stretches forward. The material is also carbon steel plate with high compressive strength.

There are two common ways for icebreakers to work. If the thickness of the ice layer is less than 1.5m, the ice layer can be immediately "cut" by using the energy of the propeller and the bow of the aircraft.

But if the ice thickness exceeds 1.5m, the "impact method" will be used. When the icebreaker hits forward, the bow is very easy to rush to the top of the ice, so that the ice will be crushed by the bow, then the icebreaker will retreat a little, and then it will bravely rush forward again with all its energy to break the ice.

From this point of view, the principle of the icebreaker is indeed a kind of violent aesthetics, but it is profiteering and will also cause some harm to the icebreaker itself. So later, another icebreaker appeared-the rocking icebreaker.

This kind of ice-breaking method generally breaks the ice when the ship is "stuck" in the ice and cannot be ejected, and the hull must swing and swing.

In order to make the icebreaker swing better, it is necessary to draw some water from at least one side of the water tank to tilt the ship to one side, then draw water from the matching water tank to tilt the ship in the opposite direction, so as to keep the icebreaker swinging, and then leave the bound ice with all one's strength.

Finally, personal opinion: Although it seems that the icebreaker can be invincible all the way, in fact, if the ice thickness exceeds its working capacity, it will only lose the opportunity because of its choice.

At present, most icebreakers are driven by diesel engines and then propelled by aircraft propellers. But this kind of icebreaker is only suitable for short-distance and staged icebreaking activities. If the icebreaker works longer and has more horsepower, the development trend of the nuclear battery icebreaker is very important. At present, Russia has built the world's largest nuclear battery icebreaker, and China is also working hard for deep-sea nuclear batteries. I firmly believe that there will be no future, aircraft carrier, aircraft carrier.