Search Results (3)

Efficiency estimation of a propeller behind a vessel’s hull while sailing through ice floes, together with the ship’s resistance to motion, is a key factor in designing the power plant and determining the safety measures of a ship. This paper encloses the results from the experiments conducted at the CEHINAV towing tank, which consisted of analyzing the influence of the concentration at the free surface of artificial blocks, simulating ice, in propeller–block interactions. Thrust and torque were measured for a towed self-propelled ship model through simulated broken ice blocks made of paraffin wax. Three block concentrations of different block sizes and three model speeds were studied during the experimentation. Open-water self-propulsion tests and artificial broken ice towed self-propulsion tests are shown and compared in this work. The most relevant observations are outlined at the end of this paper, as well as some guidelines for conducting artificial ice-towed self-propulsion tests in traditional towing tanks. Full article

Stern-first operation under severe ice conditions (ridges) is one of the most effective modes to increase the operating efficiency of icebreakers and ice ships. However, when a ship overcomes the ridge astern, the propellers continuously interact with ice blocks, and ice moment affects the propeller and the main engine. This leads to propeller speed drop and propeller thrust reduction. Propeller stop is also possible. This is the reason why the propeller ice moment needs to be decreased. Blade profiles with a sharp leading edge are used for this purpose because their thickness is significantly less than that of a traditional icebreaking profile. The application of sharp profiling makes it possible to significantly reduce the ice moment (ice loads) on the propeller, reduce the drop in its speed, and increase the hydrodynamic thrust. The main task when installing blades with sharp profiles is to ensure the strength of their leading edges exposed to ice pressure. In this article, the authors tackle upon some methods of assigning integral and local ice loads on propellers. Solutions for ensuring the local strength of the blade edges were developed and presented. The influence of sharp profiling on the hydrodynamic and cavitation characteristics of ice propellers was considered. The article presents examples of calculating the hydrodynamic propeller thrust and moment, as well as ice loads on a propeller with a sharp and traditional profile, when an ice ship moves through a ridged ice isthmus with its stern first. Full article

The existence of ice in ice-covered waters may cause damage to the propeller of polar ships, especially when massive ice floes are submerged around the hull. This paper aims to simulate an interaction process of a direct ice collision with a propeller based on the cohesive element method. A constitutive law is applied to model the ice material. The model of ice material is validated against model test results. The resulting impact loads acting on the contact surfaces and the corresponding ice block velocity are calculated in the time domain. The ice crushing, shearing and fracture failures are reproduced in the simulation. The convergence study with three meshing sizes of ice block is performed. To carry out a parametric study, five parameters are selected for analysis. These parameters are composed of rotational speed, direction of the propeller, initial speed of the ice block, contact position, and area between the ice and the propeller. The results show that the ice loads are affected by the five factors significantly. Ice loads tend to increase by decreasing the rotational speed, increasing the initial ice speed and the contact area, and changing the rotational direction from clockwise to counterclockwise. The effect of the contact position on the impact loads is relatively complex, depending on rotational speeds of the propeller. Full article