A numerical model for the simulation of wave-induced erosion of floating icebergs: Implementation and validation against wave flume data

• An innovative numerical model is developed to simulate wave-induced erosion of floating icebergs with three degrees of freedom. • This model is validated against wave flume data in terms of the melting rate and mass loss rate of the bottom-fixed ice cylinder, the RAO of a free-heaving ice cylinder, and the mass loss rate of a heaving ice cylinder. • Amplified heave motion of the ice cylinder in critical wave periods or the resonance region causes significant mass loss rate without creating a deep notch. An innovative approach is proposed in this paper to develop a three-dimensional numerical model to simulate the wave-induced erosion of a floating iceberg. The simulation domain is divided into three zones, i.e., inside the iceberg, outside the iceberg, and the interface between the two zones. While computational fluid dynamics is used to model heat conduction inside the iceberg, a hydrodynamic analysis based on linear wave theory and potential flow theory is performed to account for wave effects. The main objective of this paper is to implement the developed numerical model and validate it against experimental data obtained from a wave flume. Three case studies are designed to compare the results of numerical simulations against experimental data: Case #1: the melting rate and mass loss rate of a bottom-fixed ice cylinder is studied under wave erosion; Case #2: focusing on the hydrodynamic part: the response amplitude operator of a free-heaving ice cylinder is analyzed; and Case #3: coupling both the hydrodynamic and thermodynamic processes, the mass loss rate of a heaving ice cylinder is investigated in different wave periods. Results indicate that the model can predict melting rates in the first case study near the still water level where wave-induced erosion is the dominant mechanism. In addition, the outputs of numerical modeling in terms of the mass loss rate of a heaving ice cylinder closely follow those of experimental data, particularly around the critical wave period where the mass loss rate significantly increases due to dramatic ice cylinder heave motion (resonance).