Wave/Structure Interaction

With access to world class wave and ice basins, Oceanic provides ideal facilities to test wave/structure interactions. Past work includes world-renowned structures such as the Hibernia GBS, Ekofist complex, Molikpaq and Confederation Bridge. Work has also been conducted on smooth and faceted conical structures operating in ice. . Force panels measure local wave forces on decks and topside structures. These have natural frequencies in excess of 100 Hz and coupled with very high data acquisition rates (>1000 Hz) they accurately quantify peak loads. High aggregate rates mean many channels can be acquired simultaneously and over long periods.

Specially fabricated six component dynamometers can be fitted to measure global forces on structures or their sub-components. Repeated snapshots of significant wave events extracted from the wave time history allow statistically significant results to be obtained quickly. The ice basin has the capability to either tow the structure though the ice field or push the ice sheet into the stationary structure. Oceanic engineers can numerically model a wide range of ice-structure interaction problems using discrete element software DECICE.