At a laboratory scale, the response of a stiffened panel subjected to the impact of an ice indenter was studied by both experimental and numerical means. The experiment was conducted using a Falling Weight Impact Tester, and the impact force and deformation data of the stiffened panel were measured and recorded. The experimental results showed that the ice indenter could cause significant indentation to the stiffened panel and experienced severe crushing and scattering itself. Finite element analysis was performed to reproduce the structural deformations in an appropriate manner, and a constitutive model with a multisurface yield criterion and a dynamic empirical failure criterion for ice material was developed. Good agreement was obtained, and the influences of various parameters in the constitutive model and the performance of other different material models are discussed. The purpose of this study is to present an experimental and numerical study on a scenario of high-energy collision between a hull structure and an ice block, the conclusions of which can be very useful for studying ship-ice collisions and guiding engineering applications.

In polar ship hull structural designs, methods based on regulations are considered the most authoritative; however, they tend to be conservative and often exhibit a notable degree of redundancy. This study aims to evaluate the applicability of the empirical formula for ice load assessments by conducting a series of quasi-static indentation tests on scaled hull plates under laboratory-made ice blocks of different scales. The obtained data include ice loads, structural responses, and characteristics of ice pressure distribution. A detailed comparison of various formulas is provided, along with an examination of their differences and errors in comparison to experimental results. The objective of this paper is to offer technical support for ice load forecasting and assessment.