A numerical model for simulation of the hydrodynamic interactions between a marine floater and fragmented sea ice

•The hydrodynamic component is an important aspect of ship-ice interactions.•We propose a model to simulate the hydrodynamic interactions in a system of solids.•The model is validated against analytical solutions and a new set of laboratory data.

The need for an accurate and relatively efficient numerical model to analyse the hydrodynamic aspects of the interaction between a floating structure and surrounding ice has motivated the authors to develop a simulator that incorporates rigid-body dynamics and fluid flow around the structure and ice. A thorough mathematical description of both the model and the adopted numerical method are presented in the paper. An extensive validation study was conducted that included comparisons with other models' solutions and experimental data; for the latter, a number of physical model tests were conducted in a towing tank to investigate the hydrodynamic action of a floating structure on submerged ice masses. A cylindrical structure was towed past a fixed ice mass model at various speeds and separation distances. The surge and sway forces on the ice that occurred in response to the cylinder's passage were measured as the quantifiable indicators of the action. The obtained experimental data are primarily intended for validation purposes, but they can also be used for analyses of bergy bit and ship-collision scenarios in calm waters. The results of the study not only have shown the effectiveness of the numerical model for the considered problems, but also revealed the limits of both its applicability and the underlying theory.