Review and Study of Aerodynamic Simulations of Lifting Bodies with Ice Accretion

To ensure substantial progress in airframe safety with icing, it is important to understand icing effects in realistic aerodynamic geometries. The first objective of this research is to review and classify previous three-dimensional computational studies that have analyzed the impact of ice accretion of lifting surface geometries over the past three decades. The classification has considered and discussed aspects of: airfoil/wing geometry, ice shape, prediction accuracy (via experimental validation), flow conditions, meshing type/technique, numerical schemes, and turbulence model (RANS, DES, ZDES, IDDES, etc.). The review of previous studies allows for an informed commentary on the current gaps of knowledge present with regards to computational iced aerodynamics, and recommended strategies for the research community to address these issues.

The second objective of this research is to develop a fundamental understanding of how three-dimensional ice accretions can affect the aerodynamics of a modern, realistic swept wing near stall. Recent experimental data at NASA Glenn Research Center’s Icing Research Tunnel has developed realistic ice shapes for the leading edge of a 65% scaled Common Research Model (CRM65). These ice shapes were then converted into sub-scaled 3D-printed models that were used in aerodynamic testing at the Wichita State University’s Walter H. Beech Wind Tunnel. This research leverages those experimental data sets to assess the ability of Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) to predict the flow physics and aerodynamic performance parameters for an 8.9% scaled CRM65 wing. RANS proved to be capable of simulating the flow at angles of attack up to stall. This numerical methodology show that iced swept wing flow is highly-complex and three-dimensional and requires more in-depth analysis to fully understand the governing factors for the resulting aerodynamics.