Simulating Sea Ice Floes Using the Discrete Element Method

Samuel P Bateman, Naval Research Laboratory, Stennis Space Center, MS, United States, Fengyan Shi, University of Delaware, Center for Applied Coastal Research, Newark, DE, United States, Mark Orzech, Naval Research Lab, Stennis Space Center, MS, United States, Jayaram Veeramony, US Naval Research Laboratory, Stennis Space Center, MS, United States and Joe Calantoni, US Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, United States
Abstract:
We developed a model for simulating ice floe dynamics using LIGGGHTS, an open source discrete element method (DEM) software package. Each ice floe is composed of a collection of smaller (0.1 – 1.0 m) individual elements bonded together. The bond matrix is constructed by randomly packing nearly identical spherical elements into the desired size and shape of the ice floe. Consequently, the number of bonds in the matrix is determined by the coordination number of the random packing of nearly identical spherical elements. Bonds break when the stress exceeds a critical bond stress. The Voronoi volume of each element is used to conserve mass of sea ice in the model. An ensemble of simulations was performed to calibrate the critical bond stress using existing laboratory measurements for the compressive, tensile, and flexural strength of sea ice. Simulations of ice floes quantitatively exhibit seemingly realistic fracture behavior. Through coupling the DEM with the non-hydrostatic wave model, NHWAVE, simulations of the interaction between sea ice and ocean waves in the marginal ice zone were performed. Simulations containing O(104 – 109) elements were performed to quantify and demonstrate model scalability.
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