Parameter Identification of Ice Drift toward Cross-River Bridges in Cold Regions

Ice load is one of the main loads that needs to be considered in the design and construction of wading bridges (bridges whose piers are submerged in water) in cold regions, and ice velocity, area, and thickness are the main parameters that affect ice load. A noncontact measurement technology based on the " scale method" was proposed to realize small-range monitoring of river ice by laying calibration grids on the ice surface. The "bounding rectangle method" and Harris corner detection were used to accurately identify the area and velocity of a single ice drift. Also, the thickness of ice drift was estimated by statistical analysis. Considering the Huma River basin in the Daxing'an Mountains as the research object, field tests were performed to determine the flow ice parameters. The results indicate that noncontact measurement technology can accurately identify the velocity and area of ice drift and has wide application prospects, thereby providing a reference for the structural design and safety evaluation of wading bridges in cold areas.