The experimental study on the sea-ice climbing slope and pile-up

Sloping artificial islands are mostly applied to the oil platforms in shoal areas.It is the slopes that have an effect of ice-load reduction relative to vertical structures.However,ice damage will inevitably occur when the ice climbs up the slopes.It is necessary to study the main parameters of the sea-ice climbing slope and pile-up. Laboratory model tests are conducted to simulate the process of the sea-ice climbing slope and pile-up by laying a concrete structure in the ice movement direction. The climbing angle,the sliding angle, the break length of sea-ice sheets and the maximum height of climbing slope, and the correlation between the break length and the elastic modulus were discussed. The results indicate that the higher water level, the easier of the ice climbing slope and pile-up occurs. The climbing angle and the sliding angle form after the pile consists of broken ice pieces in front of the structure. With the increase of the pile height, the climbing angle changes from a lower level to an upper; the sliding angle is the opposite, from an upper level to a lower. When the pile height grows up to an appropriate height, the height cannot rise with the moving ice. Instead, a new pile on the sloping slope of the old pile appears which provides a new idea for ice-load reduction in shallow waters.