Method of recognizing ice circumferential crack size based on YOLACT

Objective When using the circumference crack method to calculate the ice load, the size of the circumference crack is usually determined by an empirical formula, but this can introduce many uncertainties to the selection of input parameters.

Methods To accurately determine the size of circumference cracks, we propose a method of recognizing ice circumference crack size based on YOLACT, which can identify ice in images taken with ships. We then detect the edge of the mask and obtain the shape of the ice cracks, and the ice breaking radius and angle can be estimated by fitting the cracks.

Results  The results show that the accuracy of the ice breaking radius and angle estimated by the proposed method can reach up to 96.12% and 96.58% respectively.

Conclusion This method can accurately determine the size of circumference cracks and assist in the initial design of marine structures in cold regions.