Numerical Study on High-Speed Icebreaking of a Hemispherically Capped Cylinder Based on the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Method

This work develops an Updated Lagrangian Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (ULSPH) framework to simulate high-speed icebreaking by a hemispherically capped cylinder (HCC). Using a self-programmed C++ code with Drucker–Prager damage criteria, this work systematically analyzes how impact velocity (100–200 m/s), ice thickness (10–40 cm), and impact angle (60–90°) govern structural loads and ice failure modes. The head of the HCC is always the stress concentration area, and the peak value of the impact force increases non-linearly with increasing the initial velocity from 100 m/s to 200 m/s. The increase in ice layer thickness from 10 cm to 40 cm raises the peak value of the impact force by 18.1%. The ice layer deformation shows three-stage characteristics: collision depression, penetration perforation, and through-spray. When the impact angle α is non-vertical, the strain of the ice layer is asymmetrically distributed, and the component of the peak impact force along the y direction increases significantly with the decrease in the impact angle, reaching 129.3 kN at α = 60°. Results reveal velocity-driven nonlinear force amplification, asymmetric strain distribution at oblique angles, and critical stress concentration at the HCC head, providing design insights for polar equipment.