Using non-linear finite element analysis to analyze the effects of connection designs on the ice strength of a vessel

• Main Author: Gosse, Joshua
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 2023
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Icebreaker
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/16235/; https://research.library.mun.ca/16235/1/thesis.pdf

As global temperatures rise, ice clears in the Arctic Ocean and the demand for Canadian Coast Guard presence in the Canadian Arctic increases. The Canadian government intends to acquire two new heavy icebreakers as part of the “Polar Icebreaker Project”. These icebreakers are to be built to IACS Polar Class 2 standards. Some classification societies require fully welded collars to support stiffener penetrations through deeper hull structure in the ice-strengthened region of the ship. This, however, is a labour-intensive, material-heavy, and thus costly way to manufacture these vessels. This study analyzes hull structural response for three alternative penetration support details and compares these with the base case for a fully welded collar. The goal is to determine if there is a more cost-effective and less material-intensive way to implement these penetrations while maintaining the stiffness of a fully welded collar. A three-dimensional model of the port side ice strengthened structure of a polar class 2 vessel was investigated. A design ice load pressure patch based on the International Association of Classification Society's unified rules for polar class was applied to the structure using finite element analysis. Results show that two of the three alternative connection designs gave unsatisfactory performance but that alternative connection designs with less steel and less welding can maintain acceptable structural strength.