Automotive Windshield Ice-Clearing Analysis

A numerical study of an automotive windshield ice-clearing was successfully accomplished. The windshield clearing process is a 3D transient, multi-medium, multi-phase heat exchange phenomenon in connection with the air flow distribution in the passenger compartment. The transient windshield clearing analysis employed conjugate heat transfer and enthalpy methods to simulate the ice-melting pattern and the melting duration.

This study is a joint project between Chrysler Corporation and CFD Research Corporation. A Chrysler prototype windshield and test vehicle were utilized. The meshing was done using ICEM/CFD package by Control Data Corporation (CDC). A seamless data transfer was achieved by developing an interface between ICEM/CFD and CFD-ACE. The analysis of air flow, conjugate heat transfer, and weather clearing was performed using the multi-domain CFD-ACE code developed by CFD Research Corporation (CFDRC). Available experimental velocity and temperature data on the Chrysler prototype windshield is being compared with the computational results.