New development in the lab: the ice rig is not the only "baby" I'm working on! Trying to get as much done before my maternity leave, here I am--very pregnant--machining an ice fabrication box.
The box has stainless steel sides but a teflon bottom, so that we can undo the screws and push the ice sample and teflon out of the can.
The top plate of the can has two ports: one for a vacuum and one to flood the sample with zero degree water. Beneath the top plate is a layer of teflon with a square o-ring that fits snuggly into the the top of the can. Fine-grained seed ice is packed into the can and then the lid pushes down and packs it more firmly while a vacuum pulls out excess air. Cooled water is then flooded into the pore space and freezes into a fully dense sample. All of this is done in a cold room that we now have access to.
