As flexural failure is one of the main failure modes of ships navigating in level-ice region, research into flexural strength has great significance for engineering practices.

First, numerical prediction calculation is carried out for a model ice in a CSSRC （China Ship Scientific Research Center） ice tank; second, the discrete element method (DEM) is used to carry out the numerical simulation of the flexural strength of a columnar saline ice model, the calculation parameters are obtained through ice mechanics experiments, the rectangular element is used to discretize the ice layer, and cell array is used to transfer the control force. The calculation results are then verified using the flexural strength test data to ensure the reliability of the numerical simulation model.

The variation law of flexural strength with velocity, ratio of width to thickness and ratio of length to thickness is obtained through the numerical model, and the basic scope of the flexural strength of the ice model is obtained through the error of the calculated results.

This numerical simulation method can provide references for predicting the mechanical properties of ice models.