Edge Waves Produced by the Motion of a Vessel in an Ice Channel

Abstract

The Wiener-Hopf technique was used to obtain an analytical solution of the problem of waves produced in a fluid and an ice sheet by the uniform motion of a pressure region modeling an air-cushion vessel on the free surface of the fluid in an ice channel. Ice cover is modeled by two thin semi-infinite viscoelastic plates of constant thickness, floating on the surface of an ideal incompressible fluid of finite depth and separated by the free surface of the fluid. In the moving coordinate system, the plate deflection and fluid elevation are assumed to be steady-state. The wave forces, the elevation of the free surface of the fluid, and the deflection and deformation of the plates are investigated at different vessel speeds and ice sheet thicknesses. It is shown that for some values of the speed, ice sheet thickness, and current pressure, destruction of the ice sheet near the edge is possible.