Ice crystal icing seriously affects the normal operation of aero-engines, posing a threat to flight safety. The adhesive properties of partially melted ice particles constitute the core factor influencing this problem. Existing research has yet to clarify their adhesion mechanism, and the influence law of liquid water on adhesion properties remains unclear. To address this, this study designed and constructed an experimental setup for the impact and adhesion of partially melted ice particles. Adhesion experiments were conducted under varying impact velocities, particle diameters, and melt ratio levels. By combining theoretical analysis and experimental observations, the formation mechanism of residual ice cones was revealed, and their three-dimensional morphology was subjected to qualitative and quantitative analysis. The study further clarified the influence mechanism of melt ratio on adhesion properties: lower melt ratios promote ice cone formation, while excessively high melt ratios inhibit it. The ice cone formation probability exhibits an initial increase followed by a decrease as the melt ratio rises. Based on the above findings, an empirical model was developed to fit the ice cone formation probability, establishing a correlation between the truncation constant and the dimensionless water film thickness. This study provides insights into the adhesion mechanism of partially melted ice particles and offers theoretical foundations and data support for developing adhesion models relevant to aviation engine anti-icing systems.

The problem of ice crystal icing seriously affects the flight safety of aircraft, and the impact behavior of partially melted ice particles is the key to the study of engine icing. A high-speed impact test rig for partially melted ice particles was designed and constructed, and a heat transfer based ice crystal melting rate measurement method was used and calibrated. Partially melted ice particle impact experiments were conducted at different diameters, impact velocities, and melting rates, and the effect of liquid water on critical fragmentation was discussed in terms of the ice particle fragmentation model. Further, a relative water film thickness coefficient θ is defined to scale the effect of the presence of liquid water on the impact fragmentation of partially melted ice crystals, and an experimental correlation equation for the critical fragmentation velocity of partially melted ice crystals is obtained based on the experimental data. This study improved the understanding of the impact crushing mechanism of partially melted ice particles, and provided a certain theoretical basis for the impact model and the adhesion model of partially melted ice crystals.