Investigation of practical methods to assess the bearing capacity of ice covers under static loads

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While ice is one of the most complex materials encountered in civil engineering applications, ice covers have long been proven effective and economical in supporting loads during construction and various field operations (winter roads, offshore platforms, airstrips, drill rigs and cranes, etc.). In addition to being directly available on site, ice structures have no lasting environmental impacts as they generally melt naturally during spring and summer. However, safe on-ice operations require a sufficient ice cover thickness to appropriately support applied stationary or mobile loads. This bearing capacity should be determined rigorously using efficient methods that account for seasonality-imposed strict time limitations. This is even more critical considering frequent short- and long term temperature variations, part of which are due to global climate change. The proposed research work aims at determining the bearing capacity of ice sheets subjected to variable shortand long-term loading and various boundary conditions. Currently, the bearing capacity of ice covers is evaluated by applying empirical or approximate analytical formulations which were developed several decades ago (Westergaard 1948, Wyman 1950, Meyerhof 1962, Nevel 1965, etc.). While these analytical solutions have served the industry well for the past 50 plus years, improved analytical or numerical tools are needed to account for new available modeling techniques. Such updated tools would also enable a better assessment of the bearing capacity of ice covers in relation with impacts of global climate change and new safety requirements for Northern projects. More advanced methods are also required for utilizing ice covers more effectively as a working platform on current and future Northern projects. In this context, this research project will provide the industrial partner with state-of-the-art practical numerical modeling techniques to efficiently assess the bearing capacity of ice covers for safe on-ice operations required in their ice-engineering projects.