This paper on "Finite Element Simulations of Ice-Structure Interaction" was presented at the NAFEMS World Congress on The Evolution of Product Simulation From Established Methods to Virtual Testing & Prototyping - 24-28 April 2001, The Grand Hotel, Lake Como, Italy.

Abstract

Structures in ice-infested waters are often single or multi-legged with circular cross sections. The determination of ice forces on cylindrical and conical structures is therefore of great practical significance for the design and safety of structures in waters where ice is a major environmental factor.
The present paper deals with finite element simulations of interactions between fixed, conical structures and moving ice sheets. Ice is a highly inhomogeneous and variable material, whose mechanical behaviour spans from ductile to brittle, depending on the conditions. The constitutive model of ice adopted in the present paper accounts for compressive crushing and tensile cracking as well as for the effects of temperature and strain rate. Contact mechanics is applied for the precise tracking of contact and sliding between the ice sheet and the structure. A special iterative procedure is used for automatic calculation of buoyancy forces on partially submerged ice features.
Numerical studies are performed in order to validate the present finite element simulations of ice-structure interaction. The results from finite element analyses are shown to be in good agreement with those obtained by analytical methods and calculations based on empirical formulas.