| Abstract | Hydrodynamic loads on a propeller blocked with simulated ice were studied using a cavitation tunnel. Comparative predictions were made using a panel method. The propeller was a model of the Canadian Coast Guard's R-class icebreaker propeller, and the ice block was simulated using a solid blockage. Experimental results show the open water performance of the propeller, its performance behind a blockage, and the effects of cavitation in these conditions, as well as the loading on the simulated ice block. Panel method predictions were made of the time series propeller performance in the blocked flow. Cavitation during propeller-ice interaction resulted in a reduction of mean suction load on the ice block. Block load measurements indicated an increase in the oscillation about the mean value of the loads, with a variation in the phase of the loading with respect to blade position as compared with the non-cavitating results. Comparisons of panel method results with the measured block loads support the reliability of the dynamic measurements. |
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