Numerical simulation on an icebreaking vessel with fixed drift angles in level ice

Abstract

Icebreaking vessels will probably be collided by sea ice from different directions when they are moored or dynamically positioned. It may form serious ice rubble accumulations and cause large ice loads. In the present study, numerical models on an icebreaking vessel that interacted with level ice at different ice drift angles were established based on the FEM-SPH adaptive method to simulate the above situations. The effects of ice drift angle and speed were investigated. The primary goal of this study is to expound on the reasons for the formation of ice rubble accumulation and the influence of different parameters through motion analysis of SPH particles. It was demonstrated that the ice rubble motion is the direct reason for the related phenomena, while the ice drift angle and speed are the fundamental reasons. The ice drift angle has a decisive effect on ice rubble accumulation and icebreaking force. When the heading angle is 90°, the force in the ship width direction reaches the maximum value and the value is 2.22 MN, which is much higher than that of 0° example. Vessels need to change the position of collision with the sea ice to avoid this situation. The research in this paper is a good supplement to the model test. It is helpful to further understand and analyze the interaction between moored or dynamically positioned icebreaking ships and level ice.