Coatings prevent ice build-up in aircraft Flying through clouds loaded with water droplets can lead to the accretion of ice on aircraft that compromises stability, electronics and ultimately aircraft control. EU-funded scientists have developed design criteria for protective coatings. Industrial Technologies © Thinkstock Runback ice forms when the super-cooled liquid droplets move toward the tail along the surfaces of aircraft structures and then freeze. This is often seen in areas not protected by thermal anti-icing systems. EU-funded scientists working on the project 'Support of icing tests (runback-ice behaviour of surfaces) and icing mechanisms' (ICE-TRACK) conducted experimental and theoretical research to find ice-protection coatings that reduce adhesion. The team studied basic icing mechanisms experimentally to determine the conditions that result in runback ice formation. An experimental test campaign compared different coatings developed within the framework of the Clean Sky programme. Performance measures were the ice thickness developed and its adhesion force to the coated surface. Scientists provided detailed performance characteristics of the existing coatings and created numerical models of the physical processes. Results were used to determine design criteria for appropriate anti-icing coatings. In the end, researchers provided a set of recommendations for the design of materials with low adhesion forces with respect to runback ice. ICE-TRACK outcomes should lead to more effective protection against runback ice formation on aircraft. Minimising ice build-up will reduce accidents as well as operating costs and emissions, helping the EU reach its 2020 goals as set forth by the Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe (ACARE).
