Ice Compactor Cart for Antarctica New Zealand 

Scope of Work

A newly fabricated Ice Compactor Cart needed protective coating before being transported to Scott Base, New Zealand’s research station in Antarctica. The 375 sq m cart was made up of four compaction rollers and a compaction tow bar. 

It is used to keep the ice on the Phoenix Runway at Scott Base compacted,  making it hard enough to allow the take-off and landing of the Hercules LC-130 and C-17 Globemaster aircraft that make a limited number of trips to Scott Base each Summer.

Scott Base is a busy hive of activity and scientific research between October and February.

Actions

The hostile natural environment of the South Pole requires protective coatings that keep plant and equipment corrosion-free for longer.

Hendriks Blasting was contracted to apply protective coatings to the compaction rollers & tow bar and within limited timeframes so it would meet the flight schedule for the first flight to the ice of Summer 2020.

Hendriks worked overtime to ensure the compactors were completed and signed off in time for departure. 

Hendrik’s began with abrasive blasting to a SA (sand grade) of 2.5. This is a near-white blast cleaning method ensuring the newly fabricated steel is free of mill scale, grease, oil, dirt and dust.

Hendriks then applied:

• Carboguard 635 primers @ a 75 DFT (Dry Film Thickness)
• Carboline E-Line®️ 949 @ a 50 DFT - Colour = Y14 Yellow
• A fast-curing, high-gloss polyurethane resistant to corrosion in severe environments. 

The Result

A high quality, precisely coated steel product completed in time for dispatch to Antarctica on the first flight of the season.

It’s a seven-hour flight to make the 3920 km from Christchurch to Scott Base and you must make the cargo deadlines or it's not going till next summer.

Hendriks successfully met all specifications and deadlines.

“The quality in the time-frame allowed, was an excellent finish, delivered on time and on budget,”  says Peter Cooper of Southern Cross Engineering.