An Experimental Investigation of the Dynamic Icing Process on a Multirotor UAV Rotor in Forward Flight

An experimental study was conducted to characterize the dynamic ice accretion process on the rotating blades of UAVs in forward flight to document the ice shapes accreted on the blade surfaces as well as to evaluate the icing-induced detrimental effects. The experimental study was conducted in the unique Icing Research Tunnel available at Iowa State University (ISU IRT) for a variety of different icing conditions (i.e., glaze, mixed and rime ice). Real-time measurements of the aerodynamic forces and motor power consumption were made to quantify the performance degradation under different icing regimes. Moreover, a “phase locked” high-speed imaging technique was employed to reveal the instantaneous and key features of the ice accretion on the rotor blades. The collected data are used to deepen the understanding of underlying physics regarding the ice accretion process on rotating geometry and to generate a database of 2D & 3D ice shapes collected on the spinning rotor.