Icing analysis of an unprotected aircraft radome

Abstract

Artificial icing tests were conducted to determine the rate of ice accretion on an unprotected aircraft radome. These data are correlated with accepted means of calculating water catch rate. The theoretical method of calculating water catch rate is subsequently modified to produce a more accurate prediction technique. A method is also developed to predict the thickness distribution of the accumulated ice on the radome. Since fully descriptive icing tunnel data does not exist for radome shapes, assumptions are made concerning the shape of the forward fuselage in the determination of the average collection efficiency. Other assumptions, such as ice density and the amount of water catch that freezes, are made to give the highest ice accumulation.