EXPERIMENTALLY MEASURED LOADS ON THE SURFACE OF A CYLINDRICAL SUPPORT MODEL OF AN ICE-RESISTANT STRUCTURE
Estimating ice loads on cylindrical supports of offshore structures is carried out using physical modeling in an ice tank. However, dynamometry of global loads on a cylindrical model cannot provide comprehensive data on the distribution of loads along the circumference of this model. Moreover, this method does not consider the portion of loads applied to the sides of a model, which partially reduce each other in dynamometer readings. The paper describes the findings of the experiment on ice loads measurements on a cylindrical model performed using a modern Tekscan® tactile pressure sensor. The study has been conducted in the ice tank with model ice. The average value of the longitudinal component of the load measured by the pressure sensor coincided exceptionally well with the similar characteristic obtained by the dynamometer. At the same time, the average total ice load on the frontal half of the cylindrical model surface was 40% higher than the average value of the longitudinal component of the load measured by the dynamometer. Thus, it is confirmed that in order to obtain correct information about the state of a cylindrical support under level ice load, it is necessary to measure local loads directly on the surface of a model.