Numerical Study of a Moored Structure in Moving Broken Ice Driven by Current and Wave

This paper presents a numerical model intended to simulate the mooring load and the dynamic response of a moored structure in drifting ice. The mooring lines were explicitly modelled by using a generic cable model with a set of constraint equations providing desired structural properties such as the axial, bending and torsional stiffness. The 6 degrees-of-freedom (DOF) rigid body motions of the structure were simulated by considering its interactions with the mooring lines and the drifting ice. In this simulation, a fragmented ice field of broken ice pieces can be considered under the effects of current and wave. The ice-ice and ice-structure interaction forces were calculated based on a viscoelastic-plastic rheological model. The hydrodynamic forces acting on the floating structure, mooring line and drifting ice were simplified and calculated appropriately. The present study, in general, demonstrates the potential of developing a full numerical model for the coupled analysis of a moored structure in a broken ice field with current and wave.