where can I find info on how much weight one cubic inch of ice can hold?

Question

I want it to be regular stream water. Not DO water or Ionized water. Also when I say weight I mean on top of the ice.

Okay I guess what i'm looking for is a chart on the tensile(probably not spelled right) strength of ice. I guess I may have deserved one of those answers. Also for that guy/girl assume its an equalateral cube(can't exist) but the the squares can be.

Answer 1

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Answer 2

That's a vague question and the answer depends on many factors that are not being specified.

You said "one cubic inch", but that doesn't specify the dimensions or the orientation. For example, it could be a flat piece of ice 0.1 x 0.1 x 100 inches, and that has the possibility of laying flat on a hard surface or a soft surface, or it could be sitting vertically which means it would be very fragile. Also the shape and surface of the weight on top would affect the strength of your cubic inch of ice.

Let's keep this simple, and therefore assume that you are asking how much weight could you place on one cubic inch of ice that is floating on fresh (you call it stream) water. Ice has a specific gravity of 0.92, and fresh water has a SG of very close to 1. (pure water is 1.000; the exact SG depends on impurities and temperature). Therefore, the ice will support the weight which is equivalent to (1-0.92) of one cubic inch of ice.

Let's do the math. First we need to convert to metric so the SG can be applied to determine mass:

1 cubic inch = 2.54 x 2.54 x 2.54 cm = 16.39 cubic cm.

16.39 cc at SG of 1 (water) = 16.39 grams
16.39 cc at SG of 0.92 (ice) = 15.09 grams

Now we subtract the weight of the ice from the equivalent volume of water.

16.39 - 15.09 = 1.3 grams can be supported on a one cubic inch piece of ice. (actually 1.3 grams will float with neutral buoyancy, so the real answer is up to 1.3 g).

Hope that helps.