Fully dispersive models for moving loads on ice sheets

Abstract

The response of a floating elastic plate to the motion of a moving load is studied using a fully dispersive weakly nonlinear system of equations. The system allows for an accurate description of waves across the whole spectrum of wavelengths and also incorporates nonlinearity, forcing and damping. The flexural–gravity waves described by the system are time-dependent responses to a forcing with a described weight distribution, moving at a time-dependent velocity. The model is versatile enough to allow the study of a wide range of situations including the motion of a combination of point loads and loads of arbitrary shape. Numerical solutions of the system are compared to data from a number of field campaigns on ice-covered lakes, and good agreement between the deflectometer records and the numerical simulations is observed in most cases. Consideration is also given to waves generated by a decelerating load, and it is shown that a decelerating load may trigger a wave response with a far greater amplitude than a load moving at constant celerity.