The Exploration of Icephobic Materials and Their Future Prospects in Aircraft Icing Applications

Omid Gohardani

doi:10.4172/2168-9792.1000e116

Abstract

Figure 1: Various super-cooled droplet sized encounters in presence of a rising air system and high humidity resulting in aircraft icing [3]. Figure 2: A possible impact scenario, with liquid impacts ensuing in either splashing, ice adhesion or erosion [5]. Ever since the early days of aviation, scientists have undertaken numerous challenges pertaining to the influence of atmospheric conditions on flight characteristics and performance. A specific flight scenario may expose the airframe of the aircraft to various factors related to weather conditions such as lighting strikes, gust, rain, hail, snow and in rare conditions volcanic ash [1]. Although it is unlikely that an aircraft will be subjected to all of these conditions simultaneously, the sudden temperature change that the vehicle experiences between on-ground conditions and the cruise altitude can be considerably significant. The aforementioned conditions hence place stringent requirements on the external surfaces of the aircraft and their respective material characteristics.

Highlights

In light of the preceding discussion, a number of challenges have to be tackled for a successful implementation of an icephobic material in aerospace applications
Such research requires a large icing tunnel, which essentially is represented by a refrigerated wind tunnel where either a model of the aircraft or its full sized components can be tested in realistic flight conditions
As all commercial airliners utilize ice protection systems, any improvement of the existing systems will result in economical savings and contribute to further growth of the aviation industry in the long term

Summary

Introduction

In light of the preceding discussion, a number of challenges have to be tackled for a successful implementation of an icephobic material in aerospace applications. The icephobic material has to withstand erosion and wear and other weathering conditions in terms of its structural integrity. 2. The material has to be tested in a realistic and dynamic environment such as inside an icing tunnel at high enough velocities, analogous to the conditions encountered during flight or tested during actual flight tests.

Results

Conclusion