Abstract
In cold regions, ice pressure poses a serious threat to the safe operation of ship hulls and fixed offshore platforms. In this study, a discrete element method (DEM) with bonded particles was adapted to simulate the generation and distribution of local ice pressures during the interaction between level ice and vertical structures. The strength and failure mode of simulated sea ice under uniaxial compression were consistent with the experimental results, which verifies the accuracy of the discrete element parameters. The crushing process of sea ice acting on the vertical structure simulated by the DEM was compared with the field test. The distribution of ice pressure on the contact surface was calculated, and it was found that the local ice pressure was much greater than the global ice pressure. The high-pressure zones in sea ice are mainly caused by its simultaneous destruction, and these zones are primarily distributed near the midline of the contact area of sea ice and the structure. The contact area and loading rate are the two main factors affecting the high-pressure zones. The maximum local and global ice pressures decrease with an increase in the contact area. The influence of the loading rate on the local ice pressure is caused by the change in the sea ice failure mode. When the loading rate is low, ductile failure of sea ice occurs, and the ice pressure increases with the increase in the loading rate. When the loading rate is high, brittle failure of sea ice occurs, and the ice pressure decreases with an increase in the loading rate. This DEM study of sea ice can reasonably predict the distribution of high-pressure zones on marine structures and provide a reference for the anti-ice performance design of marine structures.
Highlights
Ice pressure exists in the process of collision between sea ice and marine structure in ice-covered waters
Many experimental studies have proved that the maximum local ice pressure on a marine structure caused by sea ice can exceed 60 MPa, which is much higher than the global ice pressure [7,8]
With increases in the load, the ice in the middle layer will break, the internal microcracks in the ice will gradually expand, and the ice on the upper and lower surfaces will peel off again. These results show that the high-pressure zone is continuous and does not change with the ice load, and the distribution of the high-pressure zone is closely related to the sea ice failure mode
Summary
Ice pressure exists in the process of collision between sea ice and marine structure in ice-covered waters. Field tests and observational methods are often adopted to study the interaction process between sea ice and a vertical structure and to analyze the causes and distribution of high-pressure zones on the structure [9,10,11]. With increases in the load, the ice in the middle layer will break, the internal microcracks in the ice will gradually expand, and the ice on the upper and lower surfaces will peel off again These results show that the high-pressure zone is continuous and does not change with the ice load, and the distribution of the high-pressure zone is closely related to the sea ice failure mode. The causes of the distribution characteristics in high-pressure zones were studied, and the influences of contact areas and load speeds on local ice pres sures were analyzed. Were studied, and the influences of contact areas and load speeds on local ice pressures were analyzed
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