Icebreaker Icebreaking Principle

The icebreaking principle of an icebreaker is based on the design of the hull and the power of a special engine, which creates enough force on the ocean ice to break and turn it over, thus allowing the ship to navigate freely through the ice.

The hull of an icebreaker is usually a little higher on the bottom than that of a normal ship to be able to generate more pressure on the surface and bottom. As the ship travels, the hull will be pressed against the ice, allowing the ice to crack and break without being able to stop the ship's progress. As the ship moves, the bow creates a slope of ice. This will cause the hull to slowly raise above the ice with the bow, which in turn will break the ice from above.

The bow of the icebreaker is equipped with a powerful ice-breaking mechanism, which allows the bow to rotate to realize the role of drilling through the ice sheet if the first two ways are unable to break through the ice. It is worth mentioning that the thickness and texture of the ice will have a significant impact on the speed of icebreaking. In addition to this, natural conditions such as climate and water currents can also affect the use of icebreaking solutions, which need to be chosen by the captain according to the situation.

Characteristics of icebreakers

Icebreakers have a very different aspect ratio to that of normal sea-going vessels, being shorter vertically and wider horizontally so as to allow for wider fairways. The bow shell is made of steel plates at least 5 centimeters thick, supported by dense sections of steel, and the draft line of the hull is reinforced with impact-resistant alloy steel.

Icebreakers generally use two common methods of icebreaking, when the ice is not more than 1.5 meters thick, more "continuous" icebreaking method. Mainly by the power of the propeller and the bow of the ice split and crushed, can sail 9.2 kilometers per hour in the ice sea. If the ice is thicker, the "ram" ice breaking method.

Icebreaker bow part of the shallow draft, it will be easy to rush to the ice, the hull of the ship will be below the thick layer of ice into pieces. Then the icebreaker backed up a distance, and then open full power on the front of the ice, the ship under the ice crushed. This was repeated, and a new shipping lane was opened.

Icebreakers powered by fuel oil, mostly diesel-driven engines to generate electricity, electric motor-driven propellers (combined unit drive), drive power up to millions of watts, which can meet the needs of a longer period of icebreaking navigation.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Icebreaker