As the amount of activity in the Arctic increases, the response of ship structures to ice loading is becoming ever more important. Plastic limit states design is utilized for the design of ship structures for ice conditions. This thesis includes the discussion of full-scale laboratory experiments involving ice-structure interaction. Stiffened panels representative of full-scale polar ship structure are loaded with laboratory-grown ice blocks quasi-statically to extreme load levels. These experiments are unique in scale for a laboratory environment.udFinite element analysis of the laboratory experiments is performed, and high fidelity is achieved. The close match between real-life results and finite element simulation validates the methods used in this thesis.udUsing the laboratory experiments as validation, the plastic response of polar class ship structure along the midbody ice belt of a longitudinally framed, PC7, 12,000 tonne ship is evaluated using finite element analysis. Different stiffener cross-section types are evaluated, including T-section, L-section, bulb flat, and flat bar-section. Full discussion of the results is included.
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