Revealed: Why ice is slippery and how it becomes a skater’s paradise

We all know that water is not a lubricant. That’s why we can’t skate on a road or a kitchen floor filled with water. But then, how is it possible to slide on ice? Research says that the answer to the mystery of sliding on ice can be found in its slippery nature.  This property of ice can be attributed to a thin layer of liquid with lubricating properties, finds a study published in the journal Physical Review X. This lubricating film is the outcome of friction caused by the act of skating or ice gliding.  

The lubrication layer of ice: What is it all about? 
The thin film that forms on ice due to friction is not your plain water. It consists of a liquid substance that is viscous and elastic in nature which allows us to glide easily on ice. This lubricating liquid is akin to snow cones, a mixture of ice water and crushed ice and is different in nature from both ice and water. Interestingly, this thin film is 100 times more viscous than normal water, found the researchers. Contrary to the popular theory that ice melts into water, the findings of this research suggest that it can also transform into a mixed state.  For their experiment, authors of this study paired a powerful microscope with a tuning fork, a device that can track the forces at work during ice gliding. Though this instrument is capable of measuring a few centimetres only, it is sensitive enough to analyse the properties of friction.  

Does skating have an impact on ice? 
The properties and nature of a substance created by friction depends on two factors: The wearing process of two rubbing objects and the chemistry induced by their friction. The findings of the above-mentioned study suggest that the viscous and elastic nature of the thin film that forms on ice does not really depend on its surface properties when it melts. It is the outcome of the interaction of ice with the skate that slides on it.  The response of ice to the load or pressure created by a skate results in the production of the lubricating film between these two objects during friction.