Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1016/j.ast.2026.113688
Title (Primary) Failure modes and cavity evolution in compound ice-breaking water entry: based on the influence of ice thickness
Author Hu, X.; Zuo, L.; Wang, X.; Ren, Z.; Wang, C.; Wei, Y.
Source Titel Aerospace Science and Technology
Year 2027
Department CLE
Volume 180, Part 1
Page From art. 113688
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Keywords Water entry; Ice-breaking; CFD-DEM; Cavity evolution; Fragment transport
Abstract The rapid development of polar resource exploration and underwater operations has created an urgent need for vehicles to penetrate floating ice covers before water entry. This study investigates the three-phase coupling dynamics of a rigid projectile undergoing compound motion (comprising both horizontal and vertical velocity components) as it penetrates floating ice of varying thicknesses. A high-fidelity numerical framework is established by coupling a volume-averaged computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method with the discrete element method (DEM), where the ice is modeled as a bonded-particle assembly to capture its discrete fragmentation and stochastic fracture networks. The results reveal that the ice thickness (Lt) functions as a critical parameter for the structural damage topology and the subsequent cavity evolution. For thin ice (Lt<1.0D0), the ice loss rate reaches up to 92.77%, and the projectile maintains a stable inclined trajectory with a maximum pitch deflection under 2 rad. For thicker ice (Lt>1.0D0), structural impedance reduces the ultimate ice loss rate to 62.38% while amplifying the peak pitch deflection over 4 rad. This severe angular tilt induces a skipping phenomenon, reducing horizontal kinetic energy and creating transversely nested cavities. The transport of ice fragments is found to be non-isotropic; airborne fragments exhibit an expansion of their spray range with increasing ice thickness, whereas underwater fragments transition from a dispersed particulate swarm into a concentrated cluster of large ice blocks. This work clarifies the feedback mechanisms between ice constitutive resistance and non-symmetric hydrodynamic evolution in compound motion water entry.
Hu, X., Zuo, L., Wang, X., Ren, Z., Wang, C., Wei, Y. (2027):
Failure modes and cavity evolution in compound ice-breaking water entry: based on the influence of ice thickness
Aerosp. Sci. Technol. 180, Part 1 , art. 113688
10.1016/j.ast.2026.113688