Design-purpose numerical simulations of the NRC Heavy Impact Test Theater (HITT)

The National Research Council of Canada, with its collaborating partners (Defence Research and Development Canada and the US Navy), are developing a new facility, known as the Heavy Impact Test Theater (HITT), that will be part of the Ice Tank facility at the NRC St. John’s location. This facility w...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gagnon, R., Quinton, B., Mackay, J., Robbins, I., Rodriguez, M.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: POAC 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/object/?id=6bfe5e3f-bd4e-4630-b212-f1eac0f48ae4
https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/fra/voir/objet/?id=6bfe5e3f-bd4e-4630-b212-f1eac0f48ae4
Description
Summary:The National Research Council of Canada, with its collaborating partners (Defence Research and Development Canada and the US Navy), are developing a new facility, known as the Heavy Impact Test Theater (HITT), that will be part of the Ice Tank facility at the NRC St. John’s location. This facility will enable full-scale, or near full-scale, ice / ship-grillage impact experiments in water, where damage would be imposed on the grillage. Here we present results from sufficiently elaborate numerical simulations intended to assist with the design of HITT. In general, the simulations include representations of the moving Ice Tank carriage and the large flooded impacting device (known as the ‘Hammer’), which hangs from the carriage on four chains/cables. When impact is involved, the simulations also include the hybrid ice / flooded-structure component (known as the Anvil). The simulations are useful for predicting starting and stopping loads on the carriage, lateral side loads on the carriage during the ice impact events, and formulating load-mitigating strategies where necessary. An underlying purpose of the simulations was to investigate the reliability of the simulation results when compared to actual half-scale HITT experiments (not involving impact) that were performed in NRC’s Large Towing Tank. Additionally, full-scale HITT simulations were conducted showing anticipated displacement and load behaviors associated with the Hammer impacting the Anvil. The simulations involving impact incorporate NRC’s validated crushable-foam ice model. Peer reviewed: Yes NRC publication: Yes