Bending of ice as an elastic-plastic body under interaction with hydraulic structures, ships, and ice crossings

For citation: Koshkin S.V., Veprinyak I.A. Bending of ice as an elastic-plastic body under interaction with hydraulic structures, ships, and ice crossings. Journal of International Academy of Refrigeration. 2025. No 3. p. 98-111. DOI: 10.17586/1606-4313-2025-24-3-98-111

Abstract
In real conditions, ice fields deform and break due to bending under applied loads. Typically, solving bending problems involves simplifications. To address the issues of elastic-plastic deformation of ice under bending, stress distribution diagrams are described in the tensile and compressive zones of ice samples with constant salinity and temperature. Real ice exhibits significant variability in temperature and salinity across its thickness, and the stress distributions are represented using parabolic approximations with thickness growth techniques. This approach allows determining the position of the neutral layer and the bending moment per unit width. The process of ice failure under bending is multi-stage. The article demonstrates that the formation of radial cracks dividing the ice into wedge-shaped sectors occurs due to the violation of deformation compatibility conditions (continuity) and leads to a further uniaxial stress state – bending of the wedges on an elastic foundation. The bending behavior of these wedges is analyzed in detail, resulting in final engineering formulas for failure loads. The material presented in the article is accompanied by a numerical analysis of the results.