Effects of Geometry on the Kinetic Energy of a Towboat and Barges in a Navigation Lock. Repair, Evaluation, Maintenance, and Rehabilitation Research Program
Abstract
The structural design of elements such as miter gates or protective barrier systems on locks requires that the total energy expected to be produced by a vessel impacting these structures be known by the engineer. In addition to the simple kinetic energy produced by a vessel's movement as related to its mass and speed, there are complicated hydrodynamic forces, including drag and wave propagation, which can affect the total energy of the moving vessel, especially as it enters or travels through geometrically restrictive areas such as lock chambers. In several previous studies, the mass of the system has been arbitrarily increased to account for the hydrodynamic forces. Specific relationships have not been developed to quantify the effective increase in energy as a function of vessel speed, mass, and surrounding geometry. This research defines empirically the hydrodynamic energy produced by a high-mass, low-velocity vessel as it travels into the geometrically restrictive conditions imposed by a lock chamber, and compares it to the theoretical potential energy of an instrumented test cable designed to react equally and opposite to the vessel energy at the moment of peak impact. Specifically, the energy measured in the resisting system was compared to the expected energy of a vessel traveling at a known velocity with a known mass. The empirical tests were conducted in a 1:25-scale physical model of a lock chamber and with a 1:25-scale remote-operated towboat and push barges that replicate a typical size United States navigation lock facility and vessel.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA207057
Entities
People
- Sandra K. Martin