Enhancing performance of ice shape modulation by simulating vortex generator design

Ice shape modulation is a novel method for maintaining flight safety under icing conditions with limited power consumption, which is especially important for unmanned aerial vehicles with small size and limited on-board power. Drawing on the idea of vortex generators, we designed an actuator for forming triangular ice to produce an ice shape similar to those of the vortex generator to achieve better performance of flow control. First, the feasibility to achieve vortex-generator-like triangular ice shape using the new actuator design is validated in icing wind tunnel tests. Then, aerodynamic wind tunnel experiments were conducted using rectangular and triangular simulated ice shapes mounted on the NACA0012 wing model, respectively. The results show that at a dimensionless spacing of 0.2, the 45° triangular ice shape exhibits a larger lift coefficient, approaching that under ice-free conditions. Finally, the mechanism for lift enhancement from the triangular ice is analyzed through particle image velocimetry tests. Modulated ice acts as a vortex generator, inducing vortices in the flow field. When the ice is tilted relative to the airflow, the airflow is deflected more significantly, resulting in more effective vortex generation and inhibiting flow separation through enhanced mixing.