# An Experimental Study on Ice Accretion under Bridge Cable in Different Conditions
###### Abstract  
The ice accumulation on the surface of the stay cable of the bridge is a frequently identified problem that threatens the safety of bridge traffic. Therefore, it is important to investigate the ice accumulation on the stay cable under different conditions. To understand the distribution characteristics and variation rules of ice, this study analyzed the effects of ambient temperature, cable inclination angle, and diameter on the ice accumulation of the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) stay cable. The results show that the ambient temperature significantly affects ice formation in the lower part of the stay cable. Low temperature facilitates the formation and growth of icicles, while larger size and inclination angle of the stay cable inhibit the icicle growth. When the inclination angle of the cable is less than 60\({}^{\circ}\), icicles easily form at the bottom of the cable. Smaller-diameter cables are more likely to accumulate icicles at the bottom. atmospheric icing event; temperature; cable; inclination angle; diameter; icing +
Footnote †: journal:  
0000-0001-9900-0001-9900-0000][PERSON] 0000-0001-9900-0002][PERSON] 0000-0001-9900-0002][PERSON] 0000-00002-00  
on data collected and photographic evidence of various bridge icing events, rainfall icing is the primary source of ice accumulation on bridge diaphragps [5]. Rainfall icing includes freezing rain, formed by supercooled water droplets, and wet snow icing, developed by accumulated sleet. During rainfall icing, water droplets typically freeze at cold temperatures immediately upon impact with the surface of an object to form frost ice, while glazing ice forms under relatively warm conditions. The transitional state between frost ice and glaze ice is often called mixed ice. Compared to frost ice, the wet nature of mixed and glazed ice makes it easier to form irregular ice accumulation shapes, making the process of ice accumulation more complex [6; 7; 8]. Among previous studies, [PERSON] and [PERSON] [9] summarized an early model of ice accumulation on cylinders, and [PERSON] [10] described the growth of ice accumulation on glazed and frosty ice. [PERSON] et al. [11] investigated the mass, shape, and profile of ice accumulation on a cylinder in a horizontal icing wind tunnel by varying the three axial angles around the cylinder axes. The variation of the ice mass, shape, and profile of the cylinder with the cylinder axis angle in a horizontal icing wind tunnel was investigated. [PERSON] et al. [12] experimentally investigated the effect of changing rainfall patterns and the pitch of the helix on the amount of ice accumulation on the surface of a cable. [PERSON] et al. [13] experimentally investigated the effect of different modified characters on the transient transport of water and dynamic ice accumulation processes on the surface of a cable. [PERSON] et al. [14] experimentally validated a new numerical model to predict a bridge cable's realistic and complex icing conditions under different atmospheric icing conditions. [PERSON] et al. [15], [PERSON] and [PERSON] [16], and [PERSON] et al. [17] investigated the icing phenomena and the shape of ice accumulation on vertical and inclined diagonal cables. The results of these studies provided a reference for subsequent experiments, but most of these experiments focused on the upper surface of the inclined cable and ignored the effect of changing conditions on the icing of the bottom surface of the cable. Because of the randomness of the phenomenon of ice accumulation in the stay cable, the inaccuracy of the experiment of ice accumulation in the simulation of natural conditions, the lack of some experimental data, and the lack of understanding and research on the process of ice accumulation on the stay cable surface, an empirical study on the surface of the stay cable under the condition of atmospheric ice accumulation was carried out in a controlled laboratory.