NORMATIVE PROCEDURES OF GLOBAL ICE LOAD CALCULATION

The authors argue that the availability of substantial hydrocarbon reserves in the waters of oceans and growing needs for this type of resources boosts the development of mining operations in the shelves of seas and oceans. The majority of continental shelves of the Russian Federation are located in the areas of freezing seas; therefore, the calculation of ice loads is an important issue. Analysis of ice loads that the offshore structures are exposed to represents a major problem. A significant reduction in the construction costs is attainable through rational design that contemplates a pressing need for simple and reliable methods of calculation. The paper represents an attempt to consolidate and analyze the main normative procedures that govern the calculation of ice loads, and to present them in the form that may be easily processed by the software