A Comparative Study on Ice Load Characteristics between General and Ice-breaking Operations in Ice-covered Waters

The icebreaking research vessel ARAON had her second ice trial in the Arctic Ocean from July 16 to August 12, 2010. In this study, the ice loads measured during the “general” operation and “ice breaking” operation in ice-covered waters were analyzed and compared. Whereas the “general” operation stands for the voyage in the water partially covered by ice, the “ice breaking” operation involved substantial ice floes for the ice breaking performance test. Based on the measured data, comparisons of the relationship between the ship speed and ice load, and between the locations of strain gauges and ice loads were investigated. Peak stresses higher than 20 MPa were found. The longitudinal and vertical correlations between the measurement location and ice load were analyzed, and the probability of peak stress was calculated. As a result, the probability function for higher ice loads during both operation modes was expressed in an exponential and power forms.