The effect of hydrodynamics on the bending failure of level ice

It is shown that the nonlinear term in the Bernoulli equation has a negligible effect on the interaction and can be ignored. The effect of hydrodynamics can thus be attributed to the linear part of the hydrodynamic pressure. The effect of the rotational inertia of the ice and axial compression is negligible as well. At low velocities, ice fails in a quasi-static manner, while at higher velocities, the failure takes place shortly after the contact initiation. The transition between these two regimes is marked by a transition velocity that is significantly lower for the hydrodynamic model than for the hydrostatic one. Because of this, it is not desirable to use the hydrostatic model for velocities above the transition velocity.