Icing and Adhesive Characteristics of Iced Airfoils Under Rime Ice Conditions

Airfoils are widely used in the fields of aviation and wind power generation. Icing changes the profile of an airfoil and degrades its aerodynamic performance. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the icing of airfoils and the adhesive characteristics of the ice formed in order to explore their de-icing. In the present study, this is accomplished for the NACA0018 and S809 airfoils through measurement of the areas, thicknesses, and adhesive strength of the ice formed under different wind speeds. The iced area increased linearly with the icing time. The area on the S809 airfoil covered with ice was larger than that on the NACA0018 airfoil because of the maximum thickness of the airfoil profile, the distribution of surface pressures, and the flow state of the air. The effects of wind speed on the adhesive strengths of the ice formed on both airfoils were then explored. The adhesive strength of ice on the NACA0018 airfoil increased with the wind speed, while the wind speed had a minor effect on the ice on the S809 airfoil. These findings provide a foundation for the in-depth exploration of de-icing technology.