Changing the freezing interface characteristics to reduce the ice adhesion strength

Abstract

To mitigate the hazards of ice adhesion and reduce anti/de-icing costs, this study proposed a simple and low-cost anti/de-icing method. Different positions of the attached water’s internal interface have different phase transformation times owing to changes in the thermal conductivity characteristics of the material surface. Consequently, the characteristic parameters of water during freezing can be used to reduce the ice adhesion strength. The mold method was used to coat low thermal conductivity silicone rubber with a striped and dotted circular pattern on the surface to change the thermal conductivity continuity of the material surface, and the ice adhesion strength on different samples being measured. Different characteristic parameters during the freezing process were measured using the tracing point method, the tangential freezing interface stress being measured using a purpose-built device. The results showed that a sample surface with a discontinuous distribution of silicone rubber could greatly reduce the ice adhesion strength. For example, compared with the ice adhesion strength on the normal surface of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and an aluminum alloy, 142.95 and 150.22 kPA respectively, the use of PMMA and an aluminum alloy with a stripe coating reduced the ice adhesion strength by a maximum of 82.18% and 72.67%, respectively. When the attached water phased into ice, it was accompanied by the release of heat and an increase in volume. Meanwhile, the tangential interface stress increased instantaneously outward along the interface direction and tended to stabilize. A phase transition time difference was formed within the attached water by changing the thermal conductivity continuity of the material surface. The tangential freezing interface stress, heat released, and the increased volume formed by the adhering water located in the late-frozen region during the freezing process acted on the initially frozen region to destabilize the adhesion interface between it and the material surface; thus reducing the ice adhesion strength. Based on the results, it was evident that changing the thermal conductivity continuity of the material surface could actively reduce the adhesion strength. This study should be helpful in developing simple, low-cost, nonpolluting, and active anti/de-icing methods in the engineering field.