Level Ice-Structure Interaction Simulations Using Solid and Shell Elements

This article contributes to the design of ice-going vessels by presenting computationally efficient simulations of a rigid ship crossing level ice field for ice resistance estimation. First, the ice material model is calibrated against the existing four-point bending (4PB) experiments conducted in the Baltic Sea. The ice beam is modelled both with detailed solid and coarse continuum shell elements. Solid element simulations are used to verify the accuracy of the coarse shell modeling approach. Mesh size sensitivity of the shell element solutions is presented. Using the calibrated model the ice resistance of a passenger ferry operating in the Baltic Sea is assessed. Ice is modelled both with solid and shell elements to compare the differences in response. While solid model results provide a more realistic estimate of the ice forces, shell element simulations are 5 times faster. However, shell element results give about 20% lower load and thus can be less conservative, thus further calibration of model could be beneficial.