A return period based plastic design approach for ice loaded side-shell/bow structures

Based on the design ice load that corresponds to a certain return period, a practical approach for designing the frames behind the side-shell or the bow of a ship subject to ice loading is proposed. Four typical types of section profiles have been selected for modelling and numerical analysis. Non-linear finite element analyses that involve both the geometric and material non-linearity were performed. From the analyses, the relationships between the loads and the beam's cross-section properties were obtained for different permanent set requirements. These relationships were then used for finding the section modulus from which the cross-section of the beam can be decided. Finally, a design example is presented for illustration.