How sensitive are the material parameters to the detailed timing of the freezing/thawing process?
A. It depends on the properties that are most important to you. The important parameters to consider are the freezing RATE, thaw RATE, and NUMBER of freeze-thaw cycles. For the RATES, I use a standard freezer set to cycle the air temperature from room temperature to -30oC in about 2 hours or so. The time frozen depends on the mould shape. Obviously, a thin sheet will reach -30o in a short time. A block of 1500ml might take 24 hours to be frozen to the central core! I have found larger blocks to take 48 hours. The same goes for thawing, a thin sheet will thaw quickly but a solid block will thaw over a few days.
