Prediction of design ice load on icebreaking vessels under normal operating conditions

Abstract

Ice load is one of the important design parameters for the construction of icebreaking vessels. In this paper, the design ice load prediction for the icebreaking vessels under normal operating condition in ice-covered sea is discussed. The ice loads under normal operating condition are expected from regular sea trials in moderate ice conditions. In this sense the extreme ice loads during heavy ramming or accidental collision are not considered. Current study describes the global ice load on the hull of the icebreaking vessels. Available ice load data from full-scale sea trials are collected and analyzed according to various ship-ice interaction parameters including displacement, stem angle, speed of a ship and flexural strength and thickness of sea ice. The ice load prediction formula is compared with the collected full-scale sea trials data and it shows a good agreement. Copyright© (2009) by Lulea University of Technology.