Influence of load length on short-term ice load statistics in full-scale

• Published in: Marine structures Vol. 52; pp. 153 - 172
• Main Authors: Suominen, Mikko, Kujala, Pentti, Romanoff, Jani, Remes, Heikki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Barking Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2017; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Distribution; Full-scale; Gauges; Horizontal loads; Horizontal orientation; Ice; Ice load; Ice loads; Influence coefficient; Influence coefficient matrix; Load distribution; Load distribution (forces); Load length; Loads (forces); Measuring instruments; Numerical analysis; Probability distribution; Probability theory; Research vessels; Shear; Shear strain; Short-term statistics; Statistical methods; Strain gauges; Stress concentration; Studies; Weibull distribution; Short-term statistics; Load distribution; Full-scale; Ice load; Load length; Influence coefficient matrix
• ISSN: 0951-8339; 1873-4170
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marstruc.2016.12.006

This paper studies the frequency of ice loads of varying lengths and the occurrence probability of their magnitudes in full-scale. In these measurements, the four frames were instrumented with shear strain gauges on the Polar Supply and Research Vessel S.A. Agulhas II. The experiments were carried out on first-year ice in the Baltic Sea. An influence coefficient matrix based on analytical and numerical analyses was used to determine the load length in the horizontal direction. Rayleigh separation was used to define the load amplitudes. The measurements show that the ice loading has to be long in order for the shear-load maximum on a single frame to occur. Furthermore, the statistical study showed that the Weibull distribution gives the best fit to the measured loads on a frame. The probability distribution of the ice loads on a frame is exponential-like for short loads and lognormal-like for long loads.
•Determination of ice load length from shear strain measurements on a ship hull.•Distribution of ice load length in full-scale.•The occurrence probability distribution of ice load magnitudes for different load lengths.