Experimental Investigation on IceBreaking Resistance and Ice Load Distribution for Comparison of Icebreaker Bows

During icebreaker navigation in ice-covered waters, icebreaking resistance and dynamic ice loads acting on the bow critically determine the vessel’s icebreaking performance. Quantitative characterization of the icebreaking resistance behavior and ice load distribution on the bow is essential for elucidating ship-ice interaction mechanisms, assessing icebreaking capability, and optimizing structural design. This study conducted comparative icebreaking tests on two icebreaker bow models with distinct geometries in the small ice model basin of China Ship Scientific Research Center (CSSRC SIMB). Systematic measurements were performed to quantify icebreaking resistance, capture spatiotemporal ice load distributions, and document ice failure patterns under level ice conditions. The analysis reveals that bow geometry profoundly influences icebreaking efficiency: the stem angle governs the proportion of bending failure during vertical ice penetration, while the flare angle modulates circumferential failure modes along the hull-ice interface. Notably, the sunken keel configuration enhances ice clearance by mechanically expelling fractured ice blocks. Ice load distributions exhibit pronounced nonlinearity, with localized pressure concentrations and stochastic load center migration driven by ice fracture dynamics. Furthermore, icebreaking patterns—such as fractured ice dimensions and kinematic behavior during ship-ice interaction—are quantitatively correlated with the bow designs. These experimentally validated findings provide critical insights into ice-structure interaction physics, offering an empirical foundation for performance prediction and bow-form optimization in the preliminary design of icebreakers.