Influence of hydrodynamic effects on iceberg collisions

Abstract

This paper examines various hydrodynamic effects which should be considered when analyzing iceberg collisions with a fixed structure. Iceberg added mass is among the hydrodynamic parameters that must be known to evaluate collision severity. Effective added mass is shown to vary with collision duration and recommendations are made for the selection of added masses to be used in iceberg collision design. Iceberg impact velocities are influenced by waves and currents, which can both be significantly influenced by the presence of a large structure. Wave-driven iceberg drift motions are shown to be more sensitive than current-driven motions to the presence of a structure. The contribution of wave-induced oscillatory motions to impact velocity is also discussed. Key words: added mass, hydrodynamics, ice impact, icebergs, ocean engineering, offshore structures.