Investigation of the Design of a Piezoelectric Deicing System Based on Extension Resonant Modes

Extension modes have proven to provide sufficient ice-interface shear stresses, exceeding the adhesion strength of ice to the substrate and ensuring instantaneous ice delamination. A proposed proof of concept involves the utilization of lightweight piezoelectric actuators for deicing the leading edges of aircraft with minimal power requirements. This deicing method induces vibrations into the structure by activating its inherent extension resonant frequencies, thereby creating sufficient stress levels to fracture the ice and delaminate it from the surface. The deicing mechanism depends strongly on the chosen excitation mode, which depends on the actuator placement. Hard and soft piezoelectric actuators were used to excite extensional modes to generate shear stresses at the interface leading edge/ice great enough to delaminate the ice. Deicing was demonstrated with a power input density of 0.074 W/cm2 for a surface ratio of 0.07 hard piezoelectric actuators per cm2. This contribution discusses a design rule for the piezoelectric actuators positioning for the excitation of extensional modes supported with experimentations.