Lab Report

San Marin High School

Tanner Spence, Andersen Teoh

Max Leonard, Wesley Fink

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 Abstract
To test the durability of pykrete in the real world, we conducted sixth differing experiments.
Pykrete itself is an ice alloy, made up of 86% water and 14% ice and the experiments will
demonstrate the scientific theory of thermodynamics. The results of the experiments will be used
to construct a prototype for modular tools with a pykrete-based tool head. The governing questions
for this experiment revolved around how pykrete would react to the climate of temperate Marin
County, how durabile pykrete would turn out to be, and what the results meant for the project
moving forward.

The six tests measured the freezing and melting times of pykrete and the effects of dropping it
from a 2+ meter height, penetrating it with a screwdriver, driving a nail through it, and impact from
a sledgehammer dropped onto it. For each of these tests, ice was used as a control due to pykrete
being an ice alloy. Materials used for the various tests include: a mold for the pyrekete, scrap
wood, a freezer, a sledgehammer, a screwdriver, a hammer, an electronic source of heat, a
stopwatch, and a ladder.

The results were reflected well on pykrete. The pykrete turned out to be much more durable than
ice, with it only experiencing mild to minimal damage. In most penetrative and impact tests, the
pykrete would fracture into few pieces and mostly maintain its form and weight. However, pykrete
took approximately 160 more minutes to freeze than ice. This provides a difficulty in the
convenience of making the tools, making them better suited for non-emergency tasks. While other
tool head materials may be more durable than pykrete, our experiments show the material is able
to hold its own and shouldn’t be ruled out of being a tool material, despite being an ice alloy.

Table of Contents
1- Title Page
2- Abstract
2, 3- Table of Contents
3, 4 ,5- Introduction
5, 6, 7-Methods

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7, 8, 9, 10-Results
10, 11, 12-Discussion
12-References
12-Appendix

Introduction
Background on Pykrete
Pykrete was discovered in late 1942 by Lord Mountbatten. It is what's known as an ice alloy, in this
case, 14% sawdust, 86% water. This enabled it to hold its temperature better, resist impacts, and
maintain its shape. Its first demonstration of durability was a trial by fire in Lord Winston Churchill's
bathtub.. The second was when rifles were fired at it, dealing little to no damage. The plan was to
construct a 2 million ton aircraft carrier from the alloy to protect Atlantic shipping from German u-
boat attacks.. It would be the largest military vessel ever constructed. By the time the design was
finalized however, the niche had been filled by long range bombers and the project was shelved.

In 1943, more tests were done to look at similar vessels, namely cargo ships. Pykrete remained
stronger than ice, yet lighter and cheaper than steel or concrete. Further development has led to
numerous amature boats made of the alloy, and several serious looks at using it to create structures.
One notable attempt came from the University of Vienna. A 10 meter dome was built and left alone,
lasting several weeks before the sun melted it. While our project is to build dynamic tools, it will
change how we build structures in arctic conditions.

Guiding Scientific Theories

To start off, it is important that we have a basic understanding of thermodynamics so we are able to
make pykrete in the first place. We need to understand how the water and sawdust freeze to make a
strong material. Adjacent to this we must have a grasp on how and why hammers work the way
they do and how they accomplish their job. We have acquired this knowledge by looking at the
designs and exploded sketches of various metal sledgehammers so we know what makes them so
effective and creating our own prototypes..

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As we continue the prototyping stage, where we are using our knowledge on thermodynamics to
make a mold for the toolhead that accounts for the expansion of the ice whilst also keeping the
shape essential for the head. Now that we have working prototype models, we are moving onto
testing where we will utilize the concepts of physics specifically force, velocity, mass, and
acceleration when we test the project by destroying various objects to find the durability of the
hammerhead as well as how long it lasts.

The Experiments
The experiments listed in the Methods section below were chosen on insight they would provide us
with pykrete’s properties and how the alloy works in a real world setting.

The first test, “Making Pykrete and Freezing Time” was chosen in order to demonstrate how quickly
pykrete freezes on its own and when compared to regular ice.. Knowing the speed at which pykrete
freezes is essential to the real world viability of our tools. If it has a relatively quick freezing time,
then that bodes well for researchers who need the tools in a short period of time.

Our second test, “Percussive Impact Resistance,” the goal is to demonstrate the durability of pykrete.
by dropping a sledgehammer on it. With the alloy needing to be used as a tool head, knowing how
much damage upon impact it can withstand is critical for its overall viability.

The third test, “Penetrative Impact Resistance,” has a similar goal to the previous test, in which we
are once again testing for durability. This test is more to see how the pykrete reacts to smaller
penerations, such as that by a knife or screwdriver. This test is needed for the real world practicality
of pykrete and most importantly if it can still be used as a toolhead after penetration.

Our fourth test, “Applicable Testing Resistance,” the goal is the same as the previous test, but with the
force of the hammer and the deeper impact of the nail. Once again, this test will be used to see how
pykrete reacts to penetration in a smaller surface area.

The fifth test, “Lithobrake Resistance,” is designed to demonstrate how pykrete holds its form when
dropped from a substantial height. This is important to know for the durability of the material, and if
a pykrete tool head will be able to withstand being dropped and hold its form.

Our sixth and final test is, “Melting Rate,” which shows us how quickly pykrete melts. This is useful to
know when the tool is used in a warmer climate, to see how long its able to last before melting and
for the user to plan around this factor.

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All experiments were tested alongside ice as a control. Ice was chosen because of the close
relationship it has to pykrete and to give a basis for how the addition of sawdust changes durability
and other factors. The control is vital for understanding pykrete’s overall usefulness and practicality..

Discovery Questions
● How long would it take for the different forms of pykrete to melt in the temperate climate of
Marin County?
○ What do these results tell us about how pykrete would react in arctic climates?
● How does the durability of the different forms of pykrete compare?
● Under what pressures do these forms of pykrete break down under?
● How long does it take each form of pykrete to freeze?
● What do the results mean for the future of our project?
● Do any of the results call for further experimentation?

Methods
Materials
● Mold: 5x5x5cm cube mold
● Ice (9% expansion): 125 ml of ice = 114.67 ml of tap water needed
● Pykrete Sawdust: 16.0538 ml of sawdust + 98.6162 ml tap water
● Scrap Wood: 1 2x4

Instruments
Tools Needed
● Freezer
● Sledge Hammer
● Screwdriver
● Hammer
● Electronic Source of Heat
● Stopwatch
● Ladder

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Procedure

Test #1: Making pykrete and Freezing Time:

1. Create ice and pykrete sawdust using the materials, ratios, and amounts listed
in the Materials section. Make sure each mixture is created in a 5x5x5cm cube
mold.
a. Remember: Pykrete is composed of 86% water and 14% sawdust/other
wood-based shreddings
2. Places all mixtures inside same freezer and begin a stopwatch
3. Check on each mixture every 20 minutes until done freezing
4. Record time each mixture is completely frozen
5. Repeat all previous steps for second trial run
6. Repeat Steps 1-4 three times to be used for subsequent tests. Freezing times do
not need to be recorded for this step.
7. Make sure all data is recorded

Test #2: Percussive impact resistance:

1. Place one (1) Project Icebreaker© Cube of pykrete onto the ground
2. Drop one (1) sledgehammer from 2 meters above the cube.
3. Measure mass of cube after impact
4. Repeat all previous steps with ice
5. Repeat all previous steps to compose a second trial run
6. Record all data

Test #3: Penetrative impact resistance:

1. Place one (1) Project Icebreaker© Cube of pykrete on a table
2. Drop a screwdriver onto the cube from 2 meters
3. Measure resulting depth of dent in pykrete cube
4. Repeat all previous steps with ice
5. Repeat all previous steps to compose a second trial run
6. Record all data

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Test #4: Applicable testing resistance:
1. Place one (1) nail into a 2x4 piece of lumber
2. Take one (1) pykrete sawdust cube into your hand
3. Hit nail with cube until flush with 2x4 piece of lumber
4. Measure resulting depth of dent and final weight of Project Icebreaker© Cube of
pykrete
5. Repeat all previous steps with ice
6. Repeat all previous steps to compose a second trial run
7. Record all data

Test #5: Lithobrake resistance:

1. Place one (1) ladder onto a firm surface
2. Take one (1) cube of Project Icebreaker© Cube of Pykrete in your hand
3. Drop one (1) cube of Project Icebreaker© Cube of Pykrete from 2 meters
4. Record resulting weight of Project Icebreaker© Project Icebreaker© Cube of
Pykrete.
5. Repeat all previous steps with ice
6. Repeat all previous steps to compose a second trial run
7. Record all data

Test #6: Melting rate

1. Place one (1) pykrete sawdust cube in direct sunlight or appropriate substitute
2. Set stopwatch and record approximate percentage melted every 3 minutes
3. When fully melted, record time at which occurred
4. Repeat all previous steps with ice
5. Repeat all previous steps to compose a second trial run
6. Record all data

Results
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Weight Calibration
Weight Calib Ice: 1 Pykrete Dust: 1
grams 90 92
Ice:2 Pykrete Dust: 2
grams 91 86
Averages 90.5 89

This table is used to give a scale of the weight difference in each type of cube. Weight
is listed in grams.

Freezing times
Test 1 Ice: 1 Pykrete Dust: 1
Minutes 440 600
Ice:2 Pykrete Dust: 2
Minutes 420 600
Averages 430 600
The icemaker was flawed

These tests helped us to figure out production speed and how long it will take for each
tool to be usable. Time is money after all. Time is listed in minutes.

Percussive Impact resistance

Test 2 Ice: 1 Pykrete Dust: 1
Grams 0 49
Ice:2 Pykrete Dust: 2
Grams 50
Averages 0 49.5

This test helped us to discover just how strong pykrete was. This was done by
dropping a 5.5kg sledgehammer onto a block of ice or pykrete, then measuring the
weight of the largest peice found. Mass is listed in grams.

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Penetrative Impact Testing
Test 3 Ice: 1 Pykrete Dust: 1
Millimeter 5 4.2
Ice:2 Pykrete Dust: 2
Millimeter 4.7 0
Averages 4.85 2.1

This test showed how pykrete handles under concentrated pressure. This was done by
dropping a flathead screwdriver onto a block of ice or pykrete. Then measured the size
of the resulting dents in millimeters.

Applicable Testing
Test 4 Ice: 1 Pykrete Dust: 1
Distance a nail 0 25

Could be driven Ice:2 Pykrete Dust: 2

before cracking 0 25.4
Averages 0 25.2

This test showed us how pykrete would behave under real world circumstances. We
did this by hammering a nail into a block of pykrete or ice. The length the nail reached
before the block showed damage.

Lithobrake Testing
Test 5 Ice: 1 Pykrete Dust: 1
Resulting size 45 90

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of largest piece Ice:2 Pykrete Dust: 2
57 89
Averages 51 89.5

Litho, short for lithosphere, the outer layer of the earth’s crust, and break meaning
stop. We essentially dropped (and eventually threw) pykrete at the ground as hard as
we could.

Melting Testing
Test 7 Ice: 1 Pykrete Dust: 1
Melted Melted, but left
after 3
hours behind a shell
of saw dust

Rate of melt is not quite the primary focus as we expect any environment to be below
freezing. The room temperature was 20.5 C.

Discussion
Weight Calibration
It seems that pykrete and ice are very similar in weight. The minor difference is
small enough to be the result of human error in production. This has mixed meanings
as some tools require more mass.

Freezing times
This was largely a failure as our methods of observation impeded the ability of
the ice to freeze. The icemaker used also impeded freezing by not allowing ice to form
evenly and insulating the inside area of the mold. At current standing, pykrete will take
a long time to freeze., however we cannot be sure. This test will require revision.

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Percussive Impact resistance
As it turns out, it can withstand forces that ice never could. We also found that
pykrete does not shatter, but breaks into chunks, not unlike a rock.

Penetrative Impact Testing

We discovered that our pykrete had a thin layer of ice above it and was much
easier to chip at. When the screwdriver was dropped onto the actual pykrete layer, it
harmlessly bounced off, resulting in a perfect score of 0.

Applicable Testing
As we discovered again, pykrete does not shatter, but can behave not unlike a
rock. With ice, when we hammered a nail into it, as the nail would enter, a crack would
force its way across the whole of the block. With pykrete, it was simply driven in.
Pykrete only failed once we began to hit the nail from the wrong angle. Pykrete wins
again.

Lithobrake Testing
Ice shattered instantly when dropped. The ones we recorded were lucky.
Pykrete didn’t have a largest piece because it didn't break! We quadrupled the height
and it did just fine! Nothing changed! Just little dents in the weak ice parts.

Melting Testing
As it turns out, when pykrete melts, the sawdust keeps the shape. As such, we
had no idea when it had melted. Took a few hours at least for pykrete. Probably
longer than ice.

References
The Story of Pykrete: That Time the Navy Built a Ship Out of Ice and Sawdust

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How to Make an Indestructible Snow Fort — With Pykrete

Pykecrete

Using chitin, a bioinspired material, to manufacture tools and shelters on Mars

Appendix
Detailed Experiments/Tests plan and set-up

Pykrete Mixtures

Test Results

Project Icebreaker Proposal

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