In this work, a coupling method between the bond-based peridynamics model for solids and the updated Lagrangian particle hydrodynamics (ULPH) model of fluids is developed to simulate interaction between ice and seawater. The ULPH (Tu and Li in J Comput Phys 348:495–513, 2017 ) is the latest development of using non-local differential operators to model Navier–Stokes equations of Newtonian fluids, which has the advantages to preserve the consistency with partial differential equations and second-order accuracy in spatial gradient interpolation. On the other hand, we model the ice-like materials by using the bond-based peridynamics, which formulates equations of motions in terms of integro-differential equations instead of partial differential equations. For demonstration purpose, the numerical solution of a rigid ball impacting an ice plate floating in calm water is presented. The results obtained have shown the versatility as well as the accuracy of the method.

In this work, the finite element method (PD-FEM) coupling strategy is used to simulate ship-ice interaction. Two numerical benchmark tests are selected to validate the coupling approach and its program. During the ice-breaking process simulation, the generation and propagation of radial and circular cracks in level ice are modeled and phenomena such as the shedding of wedge ice, flipping of brash ice, and cleaning of the channel are observed to be broadly consistent with experimental observation. The influence of ship speed and ice thickness on the ice load are investigated and analyzed. The ice load obtained from the numerical simulations is in general agreement with that given by Lindqvist’s empirical formula. The boundary effect on the crack path can also be avoid with the current coupling method.

In this work, the icebreaking performance of the cone structure was investigated using a new numerical model called the common-node DEM developed within LS DYNA. The icebreaking characteristics of a typical conical jacket platform in the Bohai Sea focusing on the JZ20-2NW single-pile-leg platform was studied and the ice load characteristics of the cone structure and the dynamic response of the jacket platform under various ice conditions was investigated. The findings indicate that ice thickness significantly impacts the icebreaking mechanism of the cone structure. Specifically, both the peak ice load and the peak acceleration of ice-induced vibrations are proportional to the square of the ice thickness. Additionally, the upward trend in positive vibration displacement of the jacket platform becomes more pronounced with increasing ice thickness. While both the acceleration and displacement caused by ice-induced vibrations on the jacket increase with rising ice velocity, this effect is less significant compared to the influence of ice thickness. Importantly, the ice load remains below the yield strength of the conical shell plate, demonstrating that traditional conical shell plate structures possess a margin of strength redundancy.