Parametric Investigation of Ice Shedding from a Business Jet Aircraft

Ice particles shed from aircraft surfaces are a safety concern because they can damage aft-mounted engines and other aircraft components. Ice shedding is a random and complex phenomenon. The randomness of the ice fragment geometry, size, orientation and shed location in addition to potential particle breakup during flight poses considerable simulation challenges. Current ice shedding analysis tools have limited capabilities due to the lack of experimental aerodynamic coefficients for the forces and moments acting on the ice fragment. A methodology for simulating the shedding of large ice particles from aircraft surfaces was developed at Wichita State University. This methodology combines

experimental aerodynamic characteristics of ice fragments, computational fluid dynamics, trajectory analysis and the Monte Carlo method to provide probability maps of shed particle footprints at desired locations. Trajectories of a rectangular plate shed from the wing and windshield of a generic business jet are presented in this paper. Monte Carlo simulations for two aircraft speeds, three angles of attack and one yaw angle are also included to demonstrate the effect of shed location and initial particle orientation on plate trajectory path. For the cases of the flat plate released from the wing surface, approximately 1.80% to 2.85% of the fragments simulated were ingested by the engine, depending on the aircraft angle of attack and yaw angle. The probability of engine ingestion was less significant for cases of the plate fragment shed from the windshield. In most of the Monte Carlo simulations, however, it was found that a considerable amount of fragments may collide with the fuselage.