Initial-contact-induced bending failure of a semi-infinite ice sheet with a radial-before-circumferential-crack pattern

Abstract

Ice loadings induced by the bending failure of a semi-infinite ice sheet have been investigated extensively for ice-capable vessels or sloping offshore structures in the arctic regions. In recent years, real-time simulators of ice-sloping structure interactions are rapidly gaining traction due to their potential applications. For such purposes, analytical or semi-analytical bending failure models are required to achieve reasonable levels of efficiency and accuracy. Motivated by this need, the current paper focuses on the bending failures of a semi-infinite ice sheet, with a breaking pattern of radial before circumferential cracking. Departing from existing work done in literature, the proposed framework does not assume a large initial radial crack length, nor associate the maximum ice load with the initiation of a circumferential crack. Instead, the proposed framework tracks the competition between component forces for the initiation and propagation of radial cracks, as well as that for the initiation of the circumferential crack, to determine the maximum ice load. For sea ice with large fracture energy, it is shown that the maximum ice load does not occur at the initiation of the circumferential crack, as commonly assumed in literature. The research methodology and conclusions presented herein thus facilitate a more accurate real-time description of ice-sloping structure interactions.