Piezoelectric transducers for deicing airplane wings

In this talk, a new method for deicing airplane wings using piezoelectric transducer will be presented. Ice accumulation on aircraft has been recognized as a major risk in aviation since the early 20th century. The piezoelectric ice protection system has recently proven to be relevant in terms of energy consumption and integration. This system relies on the use of piezoelectric actuators to excite the structure to be deiced at a given frequency. When this frequency matches the natural frequencies of the structure, the magnitude of vibration increases, generating high levels of stress and deformation, eventually exceeding the critical strengths of the ice (traction/compression, adhesion, or both). The talk will present the methodology for design and controlling the actuators, utilizing analytical and modal finite element analysis to identify the most contributing resonance modes to deicing. Experimental validation through several stages is ensured to obtain an operational deicing prototype. Subsequently, emphasis is placed on presentation of the development of a power supply tailored to piezoelectric actuators for deicing purposes. Given the dependence of the electrical behavior of actuators on mechanical load and temperature, certain aspects must be considered when designing the electrical power supply. The results demonstrate operational deicing with optimized efficiency, thus validating the effectiveness of piezoelectric deicing technology in the context of aircraft electrification.