a new 122mm2 electromechanical drill for deep ice-sheet coring 1.design concepts.pdf

A new 122mm electromechanical drill for deep ice-sheet coring (DISC): 1. Design concepts Alexander J. SHTURMAKOV, Donald A. LEBAR, William P. MASON, Charles R. BENTLEY Ice Coring and Drilling Services, Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1225 West Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53706-1490, USA E-mail: alex.shturmakov@ssec.wisc.edu ABSTRACT. The Deep Ice Sheet Coring (DISC) drill, developed by Ice Coring and Drilling Services (ICDS) under contract with the US National Science Foundation, is an electromechanical drill designed to take 122mm diameter ice cores to depths of 4000m. The conceptual design of the DISC drill was developed in 2002/03 based on science requirements written by K. Taylor and the United States ice- coring community and on engineering performance objectives. Detailed design of the drill began in June 2003. Special attention was paid to building safety into the design and operation of the drill system. The drill was designed and manufactured by a team of engineers and technicians from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and various subcontractors with assistance from the science community, the European ice-drilling community and polar logistical support organizations. ICDS successfully tested the drill in Greenland in 2006 and will continue its development to meet the science objectives of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide Ice Core Project. NEED FOR A NEW US DEEP ICE-CORING DRILL After completion of ice coring at Siple Dome during the 1998/99 Antarctic field season, it became apparent that the deep ice-coring drill used by the ice-coring community was in poor condition and in need of repair/modification or replacement. In the boreal summer of 2000, the US National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded the University of Wisconsin–Madison a contract for ice-coring and drilling services, and the university formed the Ice Coring and Drilling Services (ICDS) group within the Space Science and Engineering Center. At its first m