To help planes fly safely through cold, wet, and icy
conditions, a team of Japanese scientists has developed a new super
water-repellent surface that can prevent ice from forming in these harsh
atmospheric conditions. Unlike current inflight anti-icing techniques, the
researchers envision applying this new anti-icing method to an entire aircraft
like a coat of paint.
As airplanes fly through clouds of super-cooled water
droplets, areas around the nose, the leading edges of the wings, and the engine
cones experience low airflow, says Hirotaka Sakaue, a researcher in the fluid dynamics
group at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). This enables water
droplets to contact the aircraft and form an icy layer. If ice builds up on the
wings it can change the way air flows over them, hindering control and
potentially making the airplane stall. Other members of the research team are with
the University of Tokyo, the Kanagawa Institute of Technology, and Chuo
University.