A mathematical analysis of the steady response of floating ice to the uniform motion of a rectangular load

Abstract

In this article, we considered the steady response of an infinite unbroken floating ice sheet to the uniform motion of a rectangular load. It is assumed that the ice sheet is supported below by water of finite uniform depth. The ice displacement is expressed as a Fourier integral and the method of residues is combined with a numerical quadrature scheme to calculate the displacement of the surface. In addition, asymptotic estimates of the displacement are given for the far field and for the case where the aspect ratio of the load is large. The far-field approximation provides a good description of the surface displacement at distances greater than about one or two wavelengths away from the load. The behaviour of the steady solution at the two critical speeds Um, where the phase speed takes on its minimum, and Ug, the speed of gravity waves on shallow water, observed in Schulkes & Sneyd (1988) for an impulsively started line load is examined to see if these speeds are critical for two-dimensional loads. Unlike the steady part of the solution in Schulkes & Sneyd (1988), the solution is everywhere finite at the critical speed Ug. However, at the load speed Um, the solution is unbounded. At all load speeds the change in surface displacement is greatest near the load. A comparison with the experimental observations of Takizawa (1985) is made. Our calculations show a significant dependence of the amplitude of the ice displacement on the aspect ratio of the load. For wide loads the surface deflection has much more structure than does the surface displacement corresponding to loads of smaller aspect ratios.