Validation of Low Level Ice Forces on Coastal Structures

• Main Authors: Joachim Schwarz, Hamburgische Schiffbau-versuchsanstalt Gmbh (hsva
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.470.4671; http://e-book.lib.sjtu.edu.cn/isope2001/pdffiles/papers/116.pdf

Coastal structures in northern and central European waters as well as offshore structures for exploration and production of hydrocarbons in the Arctic have to be designed to withstand the forces of moving ice. These forces govern the design in most cases, where ice is present. The largest ice forces are caused by pressure ridges and by level or rafted ice. About these ice forces there exist an extraordinary uncertainty between the prediction by scientists around the world; the predictions catter by a factor of 10 to 15. This situation as well as indications that the forces are indeed smaller than predicted by most of the scientists have stipulated a group of seven research organisations from six countries in Europe to propose a R+D-project to the European Commission for funding within the MAST III Programme. The proposal was accepted and the project started in August 1997 and ended in October 2000. The project is also supported by a number Oil Companies. The project consists of two main research areas: • Field tests on ice forces against a lighthouse in the northern Gulf of Bothnia and the determination f the thickness and the mechanical properties of the respective ice (level ice and ridges). • Development ofnumerical models to predict hese ice forces. The present paper presents some first results of the ice force measurements at the lighthouse, discusses the ice failure modes, which seem to govern the forces.