Thread: Ice cube spikes

On Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:01:39 -0500, Metspitzer <[email protected]>
wrote:

>I took 6 pictures of the same ice cube. These are the best 2. I
>apologize for the blurry shots. My hands shake a lot.
>http://imgur.com/a/RnlDZ#0
>
>Anyway, the first time I saw this, I could not believe it. It
>actually happens frequently around here. The ice cubes grow spikes.
>Because it happens so frequently, I have about lost the fascination.
>This one was a really long one "over an inch tall" but by the time I
>sat it down on the kitchen table and grabbed the camera off the desk
>it had melted, but I already had my camera so I took the shots anyway.
>
>It happens because of the shape of the ice cubes. The trays have a
>cone shape. The expansion of the ice cause the trays to try to push
>the cubes out. Only a few times have the actual cubes moved. When
>they do they only move around 3/8 of an inch but it does push the out
>sometimes.
>
>Now playing:
>The Smashing Pumpkins - Eye
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWZtJ2F0p_w

happens all the time here
Janet US

On 2/13/2012 6:01 PM, Metspitzer wrote:
> I took 6 pictures of the same ice cube. These are the best 2. I
> apologize for the blurry shots. My hands shake a lot.
> http://imgur.com/a/RnlDZ#0
>
> Anyway, the first time I saw this, I could not believe it. It
> actually happens frequently around here. The ice cubes grow spikes.
> Because it happens so frequently, I have about lost the fascination.
> This one was a really long one "over an inch tall" but by the time I
> sat it down on the kitchen table and grabbed the camera off the desk
> it had melted, but I already had my camera so I took the shots anyway.
>
> It happens because of the shape of the ice cubes. The trays have a
> cone shape. The expansion of the ice cause the trays to try to push
> the cubes out. Only a few times have the actual cubes moved. When
> they do they only move around 3/8 of an inch but it does push the out
> sometimes.
>
> Now playing:
> The Smashing Pumpkins - Eye
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWZtJ2F0p_w

My guess is that the shape of the tray causes the ice to be formed
around a core of liquid water. with the top being thin. An impurity or a
bubble on the top surface causes a pin hole through the surface ice and
since water expands as it freezes, water is pushed out through the hole.
The surprising thing is that the center of the spike remains hollow as
it grows. That's my guess anyway.

Metspitzer wrote:
>
> I took 6 pictures of the same ice cube. These are the best 2. I
> apologize for the blurry shots. My hands shake a lot.
> http://imgur.com/a/RnlDZ#0

Here's a guy who made bigger ones. He studies ice
and can tell you all about it.

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/s.../icespikes.htm

On Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:29:53 -0800, Mark Thorson <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Metspitzer wrote:
>>
>> I took 6 pictures of the same ice cube. These are the best 2. I
>> apologize for the blurry shots. My hands shake a lot.
>> http://imgur.com/a/RnlDZ#0
>
>Here's a guy who made bigger ones. He studies ice
>and can tell you all about it.
>
>http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/s.../icespikes.htm

Well he has graphs and everything so I am not going to challenge him.
The trays he uses are also more square than cone shaped so that makes
my intuition a little less likely too.

I would have thought if the tray were entirely cone shaped it would
increase the spike.

I did have square ice trays and never noticed the spikes. The spikes
started forming when I got some trays that made smaller ice cubes to
fit in my canteen.

I don't buy distilled water, but I do use a water filter.

On Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:02:23 -0500, Metspitzer <[email protected]>
wrote:

>On Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:29:53 -0800, Mark Thorson <[email protected]>
>wrote:
>
>>Metspitzer wrote:
>>>
>>> I took 6 pictures of the same ice cube. These are the best 2. I
>>> apologize for the blurry shots. My hands shake a lot.
>>> http://imgur.com/a/RnlDZ#0
>>
>>Here's a guy who made bigger ones. He studies ice
>>and can tell you all about it.
>>
>>http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/s.../icespikes.htm
>
>Well he has graphs and everything so I am not going to challenge him.
>The trays he uses are also more square than cone shaped so that makes
>my intuition a little less likely too.
>
>I would have thought if the tray were entirely cone shaped it would
>increase the spike.
>
>I did have square ice trays and never noticed the spikes. The spikes
>started forming when I got some trays that made smaller ice cubes to
>fit in my canteen.
>
>I don't buy distilled water, but I do use a water filter.

This is definitely the largest fish story.
http://www.physics.utoronto.ca/~smor...due_north.html

My question was why this guy left his warm recliner to walk 30 miles
in snow anyway. That is almost as smart as pointing a gun at a group
of cops.

So much for the distilled water theory.
http://marinefuel.com/great-lakes-pollution/

On Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:02:23 -0500, Metspitzer <[email protected]>
wrote:

>On Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:29:53 -0800, Mark Thorson <[email protected]>
>wrote:
>
>>Metspitzer wrote:
>>>
>>> I took 6 pictures of the same ice cube. These are the best 2. I
>>> apologize for the blurry shots. My hands shake a lot.
>>> http://imgur.com/a/RnlDZ#0
>>
>>Here's a guy who made bigger ones. He studies ice
>>and can tell you all about it.
>>
>>http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/s.../icespikes.htm
>
>Well he has graphs and everything so I am not going to challenge him.
>The trays he uses are also more square than cone shaped so that makes
>my intuition a little less likely too.
>
>I would have thought if the tray were entirely cone shaped it would
>increase the spike.
>
>I did have square ice trays and never noticed the spikes. The spikes
>started forming when I got some trays that made smaller ice cubes to
>fit in my canteen.
>
>I don't buy distilled water, but I do use a water filter.

I have several trays that are exactly the same. One tray placed in
the ice cube rack on the side of the freezer will frequently form a
spike. At the same time, a tray filled at the same time, placed on
the floor of the freezer a foot away from the first tray will never
form a spike.
Janet US