Laboratory modeling of hydraulic dredges and design of dredge carriage for laboratory facility
Abstract
The deepening and maintenance of the world's ports and navigable waterways has been an
integral part of the world economy for centuries. In recent years, cutterhead and draghead
hydraulic suction dredges have performed a majority of the dredging work. The ongoing design
and testing of hydraulic dredges is important for maintaining efficient dredging operations within
the limits set by increasing environmental regulations.
The high cost of building and operating a hydraulic dredge makes field testing of full-scale
prototypes very expensive and time consuming. Moreover, the testing conditions are generally
difficult to control, and the natural unpredictability of the sea can render experimental results
inconclusive. These factors substantiate the need for laboratory model testing of hydraulic
dredging operations.
The usefulness of any hydraulic model depends on the degree of geometric, kinematic, and
dynamic similarity between the model and its prototype. The primary challenge in establishing
useful similitude criteria for model dredge studies is proper kinematic scaling of the suction inlet
velocity, average particle settling velocity, dredge swing velocity, and cutter rotational speed.
Despite the inherent challenges, model studies of hydraulic dredge equipment have proven useful
for obtaining qualitative results.
The new Coastal Engineering Laboratory at Texas A&M University is equipped with model
dredge testing facilities ideal for performing such experiments. The tow/dredge carriage has a
fully adjustable dredge ladder, a 14.9 kW (20 hp) cutter drive, and a 2.54 cm (3 in) dredge pump.
A Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) provides computer numerical control and real-time data
collection and analysis during model dredging operations.
The purpose of this thesis is to investigate scaling relationships for hydraulic dredge model
studies and to design a model dredge carriage for the new laboratory facilities recently
constructed at the Texas A&M University College Station campus. Pursuant to the design of the
new dredge modeling facilities, a rationale for scaling the model dredge operating parameters
based on previous model studies is put forward. Examples of model studies that could be
performed with the proposed facilities are discussed as well as how the scaling methodology is
applied to each experiment to allow the quantitative interpretation of experimental data.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.Collections
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