Laboratory experiments on shared-energy collisions between freshwater ice blocks and a floating steel structure

• Published in: Ships and offshore structures Vol. 12; no. 4; pp. 530 - 544
• Main Authors: Kim, Ekaterina, Storheim, Martin, Amdahl, Jørgen, Løset, Sveinung, von Bock und Polach, Rüdiger Ulrich Franz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Taylor & Francis 19-05-2017; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: damage; Experiments; freshwater ice; Impact tests; Laboratories; laboratory experiments; Naval engineering; shared-energy collision; Steel
• ISSN: 1744-5302; 1754-212X
• DOI: 10.1080/17445302.2016.1183270

Ship collisions with floating ice in which the ship sustains damage are in the shared-energy regime - both the ice and the ship dissipate energy through inelastic deformations. The physics of these events are rarely studied. Experience on the conditions of shared-energy collision tests is limited. The aim of this paper is to present an experimental study on a scenario where the impacted structure undergoes permanent deformations together with ice failure. The paper describes a series of laboratory-scale impact tests of freshwater granular ice blocks against stiffened steel panels, and presents the analysis of the main test results and lessons-learned.