Breaking Pattern of Semi-infinite Ice Sheets During Bending Failures Against Sloping Structures

摘要

Y Sloping geometries are often adopted by ice-class vessels or cold region offshore structures at the waterline because of their ability to induce ice sheet bending failures. Therefore, bending failures of semi-infinite ice sheets against sloping structures have been investigated extensively. Recently, interest has grown in real-time simulations of ice-structure interactions because of their application potentials. For such purposes, analytical or semi-analytical models for bending failure events with different ice breaking patterns can be implemented into the real-time simulator for its accuracy and efficiency. Predictions of the ice breaking pattern are thus essential to the accuracy of real-time simulators since different models should be utilized for different breaking patterns. However, most existing theoretical models for semi-infinite ice sheet bending failures against sloping structures focus on the maximum ice load on the structure during the entire loading process, without conclusions on the bending failure processes (i.e., radial-before-circumferential or circumferential-before-radial cracking pattern). In this study, the criterion for breaking pattern determinations is established based on nondimensional formulae. It is found that the breaking pattern transfers from radial-before-circumferential to circumferential-before-radial cracking as the structural waterline width increases and the ice thickness decreases, with the transition point occurring when the structural waterline width is equal to 3.65 times the characteristic length of the ice sheet.