Numerical Research of an Ice Accretion Delay Method by the Bio-Inspired Leading Edge

Abstract

The accumulation of ice on aircraft is a typical meteorological issue. The ice accretion on the wing’s leading edge can cause an earlier stall and significantly increase the safety risks. Because the equivalent shape of the wing will change based on the ice pattern on the leading edge, it is crucial to predict the ice pattern of the aircraft and design the anti-icing device. The ice accretion is predicted in the present work through a multi-shot approach. In the current study, a bio-inspired leading edge that can generate multiple pairs of counter-rotating vortices is used to alter the trajectory of the water droplets. This results in a lowering of the ratio of droplet attachment on the leading edge, hence and the ice accretion time, which is an indication of hazardous flight conditions, can be delayed. As a result, the spanwise continuous ice transforms into the discontinuous ice. Meanwhile, the Procrustes analysis provides a result for the thickness of the ice pattern on the wing model based on a variety of parameters for the leading edge.