Numerical Investigation of Low-Velocity Ice Impact on a Composite Ship Hull Using an FEM/SPH Formulation

In cold climate regions, ships navigate through diverse ice conditions, making the varied interaction scenarios between hulls and ice critically important. It is crucial to consider the safety and integrity of the hull during an ice–hull interaction, especially in the presence of lightweight structures. Proper design and material selection can help improve the structure’s ability to withstand ice forces. Within the scope, understanding the behavior of ice and its interaction with the structure can inform the development of appropriate measures to minimize possible damage or failure. The current study focuses on the interactions occurring during the impact loading phases, which are characteristic of thin first-year ice. A sandwich structure made with carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy prepreg and PVC core was investigated. Low-velocity ice impact was modelled using the Ansys Workbench 2023 R2 and LS-DYNA R11 explicit solver. As the material model, the *MAT055 was chosen based on the literature, while ice was represented with its equation of state. The Tsai Wu criterion was adopted to identify tensile and compressive failure in the matrix and fibers. This simulation allowed us to evaluate how the composite material responds to ice impacts, considering factors such as the speed of the impact, the shape and thickness of the ice, and the properties of the composite material itself.