An experimental study of changes in ice surface characteristics during speed skating operation and maintenance

With the hosting of the Winter Olympics and the promotion of ice and snow sports in China, ice and snow sports such as speed skating have indeed experienced unprecedented popularity. During the operation and maintenance of speed skating ice, the characteristics of the ice are changing. Taking the speed skating ice surface meltwater measured conductivity of 300 μs/cm, which is 7.5 times higher than the initial period of ice production. Experimental studies were conducted to simulate the ice surface at different stages of operation and maintenance with water layers of different conductivities. The results indicate that electrolytes in water have little effect on the freezing point, but accelerate the nucleation rate and shorten the total duration of ice making by 19.2 %. During the freezing process, electrolytes accumulate at the freezing front, reducing the transparency of the ice. During the later stages of operation and maintenance, impurities in the ice caused a decrease in its hardness, resulting in a 15.9 % reduction in the dynamic hardness of the ice surface. The results of the study can optimize the speed skating ice operation and maintenance process. • As ice maintenance progresses, the conductivity of surface meltwater increases. • Water conductivity rose to 620 μs/cm, reducing layered ice making time by 19.2 %. • Ice surface transparency ranges between 53.7 % and 2.7 % during operation. • The conductivity of ice making water increases, and the hardness of ice decreases.