"On this particular airfoil, we saw an 80 percent loss in the maximum lifting ability of the wing due to an ice accretion that was only three-quarters of an inch high," Bragg said. "This type of airfoil is very leading-edge forward-loaded; the presence of the ice shape essentially destroys the vast majority of this leading-edge lift."

To avert the threat that icing poses to aircraft built with this wing design, the de-icing boots should be extended back along the wing surface, said Bragg, who presented his preliminary findings to the Federal Aviation Administration. In addition, pilots should take other precautions -- such as increasing their air speed to enhance lift -- when icing conditions appear imminent.

"We have made significant progress in understanding the types of wing designs that are more sensitive to certain kinds of icing," Bragg said. "This information will be used by the FAA to improve the certification process, and by aircraft designers to design safer aircraft."

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Contact: James Kloeppel
kloeppel@uiuc.edu
217-244-1073
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2-Nov-1998