Experimental study on cavity evolution characteristics of an oblique water-entry structure in crushed floating ice environment

To investigate the influence of the density of crushed ice region on the cavity evolution of a structure, an oblique water-entry experiment of the structure was conducted by high-speed photography technology under different crushed ice cover densities. Moreover, by comparing the water-entry process of the oblique structure in varying densities of crushed ice cover, the influence of crushed ice cover density on cavity evolution during the oblique water-entry process of the structure was obtained. Results indicate that during the cavity expansion, the presence of crushed ice reduces the cavity diameter by impeding the outward expansion of the fluid near the free surface, compared with the ice-free environment. When the cavity closes, crushed ice also impedes the inward contraction of the free surface fluid and prolongs the cavity expansion time. The augmentation in the total volume of air within the cavity results in a decrement of the pressure differential between the inside and outside of the cavity, ultimately leading to a retardation in the cavity closure time. In conditions of lower crushed ice densities, jets point to the interior of the cavity when the cavity collapses. As the coverage density of crushed ice gradually increases, the impedance exerted by the crushed ice on the inward contraction of fluid at the free surface progressively intensifies. This enhanced obstruction from the crushed ice further prolongs the cavity closure time and concurrently augments its length and maximum diameter. Besides, under conditions of higher crushed ice cover densities, the cavity wall is wrinkled by the irregular impact of the fluid. As the submerged depth of the structure increases, the cavity undergoes a deep necking under the influence of ambient pressure. As the coverage density of crushed ice gradually increases, the velocity of the underwater motion of the structure shows a trend of faster decay compared with those in ice-free environments.