Abstract
The de-icing and anti-icing design of aircraft is crucial for flight safety. Passive anti-icing based on structural biomimicry is a new research direction. By utilizing a wavy leading edge to generate counter-rotating vortices, the motion and collision trajectories of water droplets are altered. The influence of the wavy configuration on the ice thickness at the leading edge was studied using an icing wind tunnel, and a detailed comparative analysis of the ice accretion thickness at different positions of the wave crests and troughs was conducted with numerical simulations. The results show that wavy leading edges can effectively reduce ice accumulation on wings. The anti-icing performance varies with different wavy leading-edge parameters. At the same spanwise location, the maximum reduction in leading-edge ice thickness can reach 41.6%, while the minimum reduction is 19%. Overall, the ice thickness is significantly reduced, and the formation of feather-like ice is largely suppressed, preventing further deterioration of the wing's aerodynamic characteristics. Finally, a detailed analysis was conducted through numerical simulation to examine the inhibitory effect of the wavy leading edge on ice accretion.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 053318 |
| Journal | Physics of Fluids |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 May 2025 |