Research progress of field measurements and inversion methods of ice loads on ship structure during ice navigation

The ice load is an important environmental factor affecting the navigation safety of polar ships. The field monitoring of ship structure is a reliable approach to obtain the ice load. In view of the complexity of the ship-ice interaction, it is currently difficult to measure the ice load directly. Generally, the ice load is inverted indirectly through the measured data of the local or global response of ship structure, such as structural strains and six-degrees-of-freedom motion parameters. Firstly, according to the action scope of the ice load, the monitoring methods of the ice load on ship structure are divided into two categories in this paper, i.e., those for local ice loads and those for global ice loads. The information such as the date, the area, and the measurement scheme of ice load field measurements for 18 polar ships is systematically summarized and analyzed. Then, five ice load inversion methods for ship structure such as Influence Coefficient Matrix Method, Support Vector Machine Method, Green's Function Method, Motion Parameter Method, and Work-energy Relationship Method are comprehensively introduced from the aspects of fundamental principles, application scope, strengths and weaknesses, application status, and development prospects. The field measurement results of the Arctic shuttle tanker, MV Timofey Guzhenko, and the icebreaking research vessel, IBRV Araon, are emphatically analyzed. On this basis, the related research progress of the local ice pressure, the peak ice force, the probability distribution of ice loads, and the ice-induced vibration acceleration are discussed in depth. Finally, the problems existing in the ice load field monitoring for ship structure are dissected from three aspects, including measurement technology, inversion methods, and ice load characteristics. Moreover, the corresponding research directions are discussed. The review of field measurements and inversion methods of ice loads on ship structure in this paper can provide scientific reference for subsequent research and engineering applications, so as to better promote the development of ice-resistant structure design and ice navigation technology of polar ships in our country. © 2020 Advances in Mechanics.