Investigation of two-dimensional airfoil ice fracture behavior and influencing factors under aerodynamic loading

Abstract

Aircraft frequently encounter icing and ice shedding during flight, which poses a serious threat to flight safety. To investigate the fracture and shedding mechanisms of ice accumulation on the wing surface under aerodynamic loads, a numerical model for the fracture and shedding of airfoil ice is established in this paper based on the bond-based peridynamics theory. The aerodynamic load distribution on the outer surface of the ice is obtained using the computational fluid dynamics method and applied as a boundary load to the outer particle layer of the peridynamics model to predict crack initiation and propagation behavior. The ice is formed by the icing of supercooled large water droplets, resulting in a ram’s horn shape. The effects of inflow velocity, angle of attack, ice elastic modulus, and ice critical bond stretch on the fracture behavior of airfoil ice are analyzed. The model effectively predicts the crack initiation time, location, propagation path, and propagation rate. Under low inflow velocity, no cracks were generated; however, as velocity exceeds a critical threshold and the angle of attack increases, cracks are more likely to develop in high-stress regions. Additionally, a lower elastic modulus and fracture toughness significantly accelerate crack formation and propagation. This study provides a theoretical foundation and technical reference for the design of aircraft ice protection systems.