Numerical modeling of ice–seabed interaction in layered soil: stiff over soft clay

Abstract

This study presents a numerical investigation of free field ice gouging in layered cohesive seabeds comprising stiff over soft clay. A three-dimensional, half-space, dynamic large deformation finite element (LDFE) analysis was conducted using the Coupled Eulerian Lagrangian (CEL) approach. To simulate the seabed, a Tresca soil model with the strain rate and strain-softening effects was coded into a user subroutine. The accuracy of the model was verified by comparing its results with those of published experimental studies. Additionally, a comprehensive parametric study was conducted to examine the effect of various ice gouging scenarios and seabed soil parameters on the subgouge soil deformation and the ice keel reaction forces. Our findings revealed that an interactive response occurs between the soil layers and the ice keel that may cause the peak subgouge soil deformation and keel reaction magnitudes to differ from those observed under uniform soil conditions. The developed model was found to be an efficient tool for free field ice gouging analysis in cohesive layered seabeds.