Trygve Kvåle Løken: Iceberg stability during towing in a wave field

Abstract:Due to their large mass and small aspect ratio, icebergs pose a threat to boats and offshore structures. Small icebergs and bergy bits can cause harm to platform hulls and are more difficult to discover remotely. When there is a risk of collision between icebergs and platforms, it is necessary to deflect its drifting course to ensure safe human operations in polar offshore regions. In this talk, I will present iceberg towing experiments carried out on Svalbard in September 2020...

This talk is part of the Mechanics Lunch Seminar series. That means 20min talks plus discussion in an informal setting.

Zoom: To obtain the Zoom meeting details please contact Timo Koch (timokoch at math.uio.no).

Iceberg stability was analyzed from GPS tracks and inertial motion unit data. The towline tension as well as the boat motion relative to the iceberg was measured. Different scenarios were investigated by changing the towing strategy with regards to towing speed, direction (straight or curved trajectory) and acceleration. Large amplitude roll oscillations with period of approximately 30 s were observed immediately after the load dropped and the iceberg returned to a stable static position. From the load cell, we observed oscillations in the system with periods of approximately 6 s, which were attributed to the rope elastic properties and the iceberg response. The load oscillations increased when the towing direction was against the waves as opposed to perpendicular to the waves.

Published Apr. 7, 2021 12:39 PM - Last modified Apr. 7, 2021 12:39 PM