Ice Shape Mapping by Means of 4D-Scans

When studying ice accretion processes experimentally it is desirable to document the generated ice shapes as accurately as possible. The obtained set of data can then be used for aerodynamic studies, the improvement of icing test facilities, the development of design criteria, the validation of ice accretion simulation tools as well as other applications. In the past, various ice shape documentation methods have been established including photography, cross-sectional tracing, molding and casting as well as 3D-scanning. This work introduces a new ice shape documentation technique based on active 3D-scanning in combination with fluorescent dyes and an optimized set of optical filters. The new approach allows recording the time-resolved three dimensional growth of an arbitrary ice shape. Based on this concept a so-called 4D-scanning system is developed, which allows a detailed evaluation of icing experiments and hence a better understanding of the ice accretion process itself. The scanning system has been successfully implemented and tested in two icing wind tunnels of completely different size, namely FH JOANNEUM's small scaled icing wind tunnel and Rail Tec Arsenal's large icing wind tunnel.