Numerical Simulation of Ice Action to a Lighthouse Available to Purchase

Ice actions to the Norstro¨msgrund lighthouse are simulated by means of the computational cohesive element model. The numerical model is developed in the framework of finite elements. Fracture of the ice sheet is accounted for by the cohesive elements placed at internal finite element mesh boundaries in order to track traction versus separation. One single ice event on the Norstro¨msgrund lighthouse is selected for which the ice loads as well as outer boundary conditions are recorded. This event serves as a basis for comparison to the computational method presented in this paper. The simulation results indicate that the proposed numerical method captures many of the qualitative observation as well as quantitatively derives comparable global ice loads to the lighthouse to those of the selected ice event. Future analysis should include additional validation to variations in ice thickness and drift speed.