A stochastic method for the prediction of icebreaker bow extreme stresses

It is well established that the ship-ice interaction process is quite complex and associated ice loads on the icebreaker hull is a stochastic process. Obviously, novel accurate statistical methods and models should be developed and applied to estimate extreme bow stresses.This paper studies icebreaker bow stresses based on measured distribution of ice thickness in the Arctic Ocean on the way to and from the North Pole. Since the vessel route was carefully selected searching for easier ice conditions, the Arctic Ocean crossing was not a straight linear but a meandering path. Thus, the specific ship route data was biased with respect to general ice statistics in the region, but true with respect to the route specific ice data encountered by a ship navigating in that region. Therefore the route specific ice thickness data is directly needed for ship design and navigation analysis. It is assumed that captains are competent and knowledgeable, and therefore will select a route that provides the most favourable ice conditions.This paper contributes to study of the newest Chinese self-designed polar icebreaker, serving the purpose of enhancing icebreaker operational reliability. Finite Element Method software package ANSYS/LS-DYNA has been employed to simulate bow stress pattern for a particular icebreaker operating in the Arctic Ocean. Extreme bow stresses were estimated using Naess-Gaidai method. The latter is a first application of Naess-Gaidai method to a distribution with lower bound. Thus this paper aims at introducing an efficient method of estimating route-specific icebreaker extreme bow stresses.     

Modelling of the passive turning of a turret moored vessel in conditions of compact ice

The concept of the offshore oil and gas field development using floating ship-shaped platforms, frequently named floating production units (FPU further), with turret mooring is widely used in the world, including regions with harsh environment. The direct transfer of this concept to the Arctic seas is not possible, mostly due to the difficulties of maintaining a weathervaning, or passive turning regime in heavy ice conditions. The main danger relates to the fact that the expected FPU rotation under the action of high ice loads can be accompanied by a translational displacement of the FPU away from the mooring point. As a result, the mooring system may reach an overloaded state until the FPU turns to a favourable position relative to the ice drift direction. In the paper, we are focused on the investigation of a mathematical model of the passive FPU turning on a spot under the assumption that the ice cover is described by a rigid-plastic continuum. The study is performed both analytically and by numerical simulations. A number of specific FPU motion patterns are analytically derived from the model in quasi-static approximation in the form of successive limit states of the system FPU – ice continuum. Some results of the corresponding numerical simulation are presented that confirm the existence of similar solutions in the full dynamic setting of the problem. A partial parametric analysis of the problem is also performed.     

利用大地水准面模型计算垂线偏差的方法及精度分析

根据大地水准面与垂线偏差的关系,设计合理的计算方案,给出利用大地水准面模型计算垂线偏差的简化公式,并通过模拟计算探讨大地水准面相对精度、取点间距和已知点选取及个数对计算结果的影响。利用GEOID12B模型分别计算GSVS2011、GSVS2014项目中各测站点和美国西部区域（40°~45°N,100°~105°W,分辨率为1′）的垂线偏差,并与GSVS项目垂线偏差实测值和DEFLEC12B模型值进行比较。结果表明,垂线偏差南北分量和东西分量的计算精度均优于±0.5″,说明利用相对精度为cm甚至亚cm级的大地水准面模型可获取较高精度的垂线偏差。     

2017-08-09新疆精河Ms6.6地震附近区域相对应变的变化分析

2017年精河M_S6.6地震震前,尼勒克、巴伦台和小泉沟台钻孔应变仪记录到显著的应变变化,经现场落实确认,异常是可靠的。根据这3个台的记录资料计算相对应变的变化,结果表明,地震前最大（小）主应变大小和方向分别出现明显加速和急剧偏转变化。此外还发现,相对应变场异常期间主方向与震源机制解P轴方位较为一致。     

MOS-1/1b MESSR Observations of the Antarctic Sea Ice: Ice Bands and Ice Streamers

Meso- or submeso-scale features of the Antarctic sea ice are investigated using the MOS-1/1b MESSR Images (spatial resolution of approximately 50 m) received at Syowa Station. Particular attention is paid to the ice bands and ice streamers in coastal polynyas. In the Antarctic Ocean, ice bands can be often seen not only at the ice edge but also in the ice interior zone throughout the year and they extend for hundreds of kilometers in the latitudinal direction. It is found that the width and spacing of ice bands tend to decrease from winter to summer. The width of ice band is about 2–6 km in August and September, and 0.1–0.7 km in December. The spacing of ice bands is about 3–10 km in August and September, and 0.1–2 km in December. In coastal polynyas, ice streamers, which are composed of new ice, are sometimes observed. In general, the row of the streamers is spaced at 0.5–2 km with a width of 0.1–1.0 km.     

Ring foundation on elastic subgrade: an analytical solution for computer modelling using the Lagrangian multiplier method

In the practice of geotechnical engineering, the case of a ring footing carrying a set of concentrated point loads is a common problem. At times, the induced vertical and angular displacements for the ring footing need to be evaluated at a relatively precise level. By making use of the governing set of equations derived for the case of a general curved beam, expressions that can be easily implemented in modern computing software are derived for the vertical and angular displacements of a ring footing of rectangular cross section as functions of the radial position. The loading case considered is a vertical point load, and the soil is modelled as elastic. Estimates of the displacements have been shown for a common range of practical applications. The behaviour for a set of concentrated loads may be evaluated using the derived equations through direct superposition. Nonlinear finite element analysis is used to evaluate the vertical deflection and angular twist of the ring foundation. Numerical analysis performed for three ring foundations with different radii and cross sections is reported to validate the accuracy of the derived analytical solution. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Constraining Holocene 10Be production rates in Greenland

The absence of a production rate calibration experiment on Greenland has limited the ability to link ¹⁰Be exposure dating chronologies of ice‐margin change to independent records of rapid climate change. We use radiocarbon age control on Holocene glacial features near Jakobshavn Isbræ, western Greenland, to investigate ¹⁰Be production rates. The radiocarbon chronology is inconsistent with the ¹⁰Be age calculations based on the current globally averaged ¹⁰Be production rate calibration data set, but is consistent with the ¹⁰Be production rate calibration data set from north‐eastern North America, which includes a calibration site nearby on north‐eastern Baffin Island. Based on the best‐dated feature available from the Jakobshavn Isbræ forefield, we derive a ¹⁰Be production rate value of 3.98 ± 0.24 atoms g a^?1, using the ‘St’ scaling scheme, which overlaps with recently published reference ¹⁰Be production rates. We suggest that these ¹⁰Be production rate data, or the very similar data from north‐eastern North America, are used on Greenland. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.