A new icebreaking pattern for the application in numerical simulation of ship performance in level ice

For the evaluation of ship performance in ice and ice loads on the ship hull, numerical simulation methods have been increasingly developed in recent years. In these models, the shapes of ice cusps broken from the intact ice sheet are idealized as either part of a circle or a triangle. Effects arising from the geometry of the loading area are neglected or idealized. Since the proper definition of the geometry of ice cusps is one of the key factors in numerical models, this paper introduces a new icebreaking pattern based on theoretical deviation. The finite difference method is adopted to approximate the deflection field of the wedge plate. This model takes a large set of factors as input while consuming little computation time. The outcome provides some new features compared to previous models. The results are validated using full-scale measurements of ice cusps around a ship hull, based on stereo camera recording and image processing. The validation shows that the derived method is appropriate in predicting realistic icebreaking patterns. Hence, it is plausible that its implementation in numerical models for ship performance in level ice will lead to improved prediction of the ship performance and ice loads on the hull.