AbstractSteady two-dimensional nonlinear flexural–gravity hydraulic falls past a submerged obstruction on the bottom of a channel are considered. The fluid is assumed to be ideal and is covered above by a thin ice plate. Cosserat theory is used to model the sheet of ice as a thin elastic shell, and boundary integral equation techniques are then employed to find critical flow solutions. By utilising a second obstruction, solutions with a train of waves trapped between two obstructions are investigated.</jats:p