Developments in Ice Wind Tunnel Testing
Aircraft safety data shows that 2019 was the third safest on record*, and the trend over the last few years has been a downward one in terms of the number of air crashes or incidents. However, a consistent cause factor has been the weather and this remains at around 10% of all air incidents^.
Safety is a top priority for aviation manufacturers. Just one safety related incident can set a company (and in some cases the industry) back months or even years. Growth, profitability and reputation all rely on a clean safety record, which is why the aviation industry spends billions on improving & maintaining the security of their craft.
One key area of focus is that of ice build-up. When an aircraft flies at higher altitudes, water droplets that are already supercooled can suddenly freeze and within a very short space of time (we’re talking minutes) can form a thick layer of ice on wings, rotors, engines & sensors – all critical aircraft components.
Aircraft manufacturers have to prove that the right safety measures are in place to ensure the vessel is protected from ice build up and therefore not pose a risk to or endanger flight safety. Current ice-mitigation technologies rely on different methods and approaches. These include mechanical breaking of the ice, electrical heating or application of de-icing chemicals. These are expensive, inefficient, unreliable, and can be damaging to the environment.
As a result the need for new innovative approaches to ice management has never been more apparent. This means that any contemporary solution requires an enormous amount of testing – and testing in situ. Therefore in order to develop, test and certify products, high-performance facilities where suitable icing tests can be carried out are needed.
Therein lies the rub. High performance wind tunnels = high expense, particularly when simulating the extreme conditions that aircraft experience in relation to ice build up. Recreation of phenomena such as Supercooled Large Droplets (SLDs) or freezing drizzle add significantly to the cost of wind tunnel use, but that may be about to change.
An Innovate UK funded project by the name of ICELIP (brand name: Icemart®) are developing a novel passive ice-repellent coating that will prevent ice formation and adhesion without the need for active ice-management. As part of this project the consortium behind Icemart® are developing a bespoke Ice Wind Tunnel (IWT) model which delivers increased testing, higher efficiency & less down time. The approach allows for parallel or side by side testing, has a quick release system for leading edges and/or back plates, adapts the angle of attack and can be controlled from outside the tunnel itself. It is modular in design and is therefore not reliant on large structural elements that traditionally take time to move and replace.
While not revolutionary, the Icemart® approach represents an evolution in ice wind tunnel modelling. For more information visit www.ice-mart.com
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* https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/comment/2019-air-crashes/
^ http://www.planecrashinfo.com/cause.htm
