Ice Loads On Conical-shaped Structures

摘要

If you had to place a structure in waters where there is a moving ice cover, what shape would you choose? This could be a bridge pier, a lighthouse or an offshore drilling platform. At first, this appears to be a question which should have a rather trivial answer. There are few basic shapes to consider - a vertical-sided structure, a conical-shaped one, or perhaps for a large offshore structure, a multi-leg platform. You would think that some simple physical model tests or even an analytical approach would tell you which structure is best suited for ice-covered waters. But you would be wrong.