A Measuring System for Simultaneous Current, Wave and Ice Action on Offshore Structures

Abstract

The design, fabrication and installation of a n Ice Force Measuring System (IFMS) were completed with partial support from the Department of Energy sponsored project entitled Measurement and Analysis of Extreme Wave and Ice Actions in the Great Lakes for Offshore Wind Platform Design in the fall of 2013 for ope rations during the winter of 2013 2014. The instrumentation was deployed in Lake Superior on a Keweenaw Peninsula lighthouse, where a large scale laboratory for cold regions engineering experimentation is naturally formed. A data acquisition system capture d readings from strain gauges encased in the IFMS plate and ice thickness were monitored from a radiometer located on the deck of the lighthouse. The system instrumentation s are shown in Fig. 1a and 1b Data analyses, reports and journal article publication s continued through the summer of 2016 thanks to support from the Link foundation.