Ice rubble accumulation event analysis: level ice interaction with upward breaking conical structures

Pfister, Susan (2004) Ice rubble accumulation event analysis: level ice interaction with upward breaking conical structures. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Incidents of ice rubble accumulation are associated with force maxima in field observations and therefore the understanding of ice rubble processes is desirable for the purposes of determining design loads for offshore structures. In 1999, a series of tests to observe level ice interacting with upward breaking conical structures was conducted in C-CORE's geotechnical centrifuge. A complementary test series was conducted at IMD's ice tank in 2000. A field program to obtain ice observations was carried out in the spring of 2001 at the Confederation Bridge. Data from these three sources was examined in the context of friction, fracture mechanics, and dimensional analysis. A minimum energy approach has been found to be most useful in predicting the combination of variables which will result in ice rubble accumulation. The ratio of force to fail an ice floe locally (rubbling) versus the force to fail an ice floe globally (splitting) is investigated as a practical method of comparison of data from different scales.

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