Experimental and Numerical Studies of the Effect of Icing on the Aerodynamic Characteristics of the WORTMANN FX 63-137 Airfoil

The aim of this work is to investigate the process of icing on the wing of a Wortmann FX 63-137 airfoil aircraft during flight and to analyze the effect of this phenomenon on the aerodynamic coefficients of the test object. The authors selected a Meteorological Aerodrome Report (METAR) message indicating the highest probability of icing occurrence during night flights. The calculations assumed the case of entry into cumulonimbus clouds. Numerical simulations were carried out using Ansys software packages. In the first phase, the airflow around the investigated wing profile was modelled, and then the stage of water droplet accumulation on its surface and supercooling was simulated. This led to the formation of icing structures. The lift and drag force coefficients depending on the angle of attack that were obtained from the simulations were analyzed. In addition, it was possible to obtain the ice geometry for the analyzed case.