Model Tests With a Compliant Cylindrical Structure to Investigate Ice-Induced Vibrations

Abstract

A compliant cylindrical structure has been built and tested in a series of model tests in ice in the Large Ice Model Basin at HSVA. The structure's stiffness in ice plane is higher in ice drift direction than crosswise, enabling the model to vibrate in different geometrical oscillation patterns. In total, four ice sheets have been used to perform tests in different ice thickness, covering a wide range of ice drift velocities between 0.005 and 0.15 m/s in model scale. Several events of ice-induced vibrations were observed throughout the test campaign. Oscillations are found to reach different types of beginning steady states, depending on ice drift velocity and ice thickness. Dynamic amplification of structural response in ice plane as well as ratio of static and dynamic forces is highly dependent on the type of vibration. While the dynamic amplification is highest when the ice load's frequency equals the first natural frequency of the structure, the highest dynamic forces occur when the crushing frequency is an integer fraction of the natural frequency. The paper describes the design of the test setup, instrumentation and calibration, performance and analysis of conducted tests, and general findings.