An Experimental and Computational Investigation of Spanwise-Step-Ice Shapes On Airfoil Aerodynamics

S. Lee, T. Dunn, H.M. Gurbacki, M.B. Bragg and E. Loth
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801


ABSTRACT
The objective of this research was to study the effects of spanwise-step-ice accretions (resulting from large droplet icing conditions) on subsonic aircraft aerodynamics. The airfoil investigated was a modified NACA 23012 with a simple flap. An experimental and computational program was conducted using simulated ice accretions to determine the sensitivity of ice shape size and location on airfoil performance and control as a function of angle of attack and flap deflection. Focus is paid on the critical conditions where the aerodynamic performance, and the hinge moment in particular, changes rapidly and non-linearly. The experimental program included wake surveys, surface pressure taps, and force-balance measurements to obtain lift, drag, pitching moment, and hinge-moment coefficients for a large variety of geometry and flow conditions. The accompanying computational investigation was performed with a high-resolution full Navier-Stokes solution using a solution-adaptive unstructured grid for both non-iced and iced configurations. Results are presented for experiments and predictions of sectional aerodynamic characteristics where the quarter-round ice shape heights of 0.0083 and 0.0139 chords resulted in a dramatic decrease in maximum lift coefficients as well as significant reductions in hinge moments for positive angles of attack.





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