| Abstract | A series of experiments was carried out to study the navigability of three evacuation lifeboat designs in a variety of environmental conditions. The test series investigated the combined effects of ice and waves on the lifeboats. Three different hull designs representing current lifeboats were modelled at a scale of 1:13. The variables in the test program included the hull design, level of power to the model, ice concentration, wave period and model launch direction. The lifeboat had to meet pass/fail criteria, which depended on whether the model could make way in a given environmental condition. Overall, the models were able to make way in most cases. Compared to previous evacuation model test series, the models in the present tests were better able to navigate the given conditions. When travelling with the wave direction, the model could always make way. When travelling into the waves, the models all had some difficulty in several tests; especially those at higher wave frequencies and higher ice concentrations. The results provide further insight into the viability of evacuation lifeboat systems in ice-covered water conditions. |
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