Detailed measurements of the flowfield in the vicinity of an airfoil with glaze ice

TLDR: In this paper, an experimental study has been conducted in the OSU subsonic tunnel to measure the characteristics of the separation bubble on an airfoil with glaze ice.

Abstract: An experimental study has been conducted in the OSU subsonic tunnel to measure the characteristics of the separation bubble on an airfoil with glaze ice. A measured glaze ice accretion on a NACA 0012 airfoil was simulated in wood for this dry tunnel test. The 21 inch chord model was pressure belted and the ice shape internally tapped to obtain surface pressures, lift and moment coefficients. A wake survey probe was used to obtain airfoil drag. The separation bubble was explored by measuring the time averaged velocities using a split film probe. The probe was positioned using a computer controlled two-dimensional traversing system. In this paper, airfoil lift, drag, and moment coefficient data are compared for the airfoil with and without glaze ice. Velocity profiles in the separation bubble are presented for several chordwise stations at three angles of attack. The ice shape caused a severe lift and drag penalty. The velocity profiles show clearly the large bubble geometry, regions of reversed flow, and bubble reattachment.