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Mother nature has many faces. Each of them has different effects on us and
our surroundings. Click
Some may be a blessing for us in one aspect click
and simultaneously they can be disastrous in other aspect. click
When men started flying, they were unaware of the effects of nature on
aviation. With the passage of time these effects made humans explore the
relationship of natural phenomena and aviation. Which brings me to the
topic of my presentation click
Effects of icing on aircraft.
Assalamo alaikum gentlemen, Im F/O Asghar with the aim to apprise the
house regarding icing and its effects on aircraft. Click
sequence of my presentation is as flashed. Click
starting with
SUPER COOLED WATER DROPLETS
Click
Although the nominal freezing point of water is 0C, Click
In reality, however, 0Centrigrade marks the temperature below which
water droplets become Super-cooled and are capable of freezing. While
some of the droplets actually do freeze spontaneously just below 0C, others
persist in the liquid state at much lower temperatures.

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These droplets are called super-cooled water droplets. Click

The supercooled water droplets are formed by condensation. Click, Click
Condensation is the change of the physical state of matter from gaseous
state into liquid state, Click, and is the reverse of vaporization. It can also
be defined as the change of water vapour to liquid water when in contact
with any surface. click
The Icing Process click
When a supercooled water droplet strikes an aircraft surface, it begins to
freeze, releasing latent heat. Click
This latent heat warms the remainder of the droplet to near 0C, allowing
the unfrozen part of the droplet to spread back across the surface until
freezing is complete. The lower the air temperature and the colder the
aircraft surface, greater will be the fraction of the droplet that freezes
immediately on impact. Similarly, the smaller the droplet , the greater the
fraction of the droplet that freezes immediately on impact. Finally, the more
frequent the droplets strike the aircraft surface, the greater the amount of
water that will flow back over the aircraft surface. click
Types of Aircraft Ice
Aircraft icing has following main types click
Rime Ice click
Rime ice is a product of small droplets where each droplet has a chance to
freeze completely before another droplet hits the same place. click

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The ice that is formed is opaque and brittle because of the air trapped
between the droplets. click
Rime ice tends to form on the leading edges of airfoils, builds forward into
the air stream.. click
and has low adhesive properties. click
Clear Ice click
In the situation where each large droplet does not freeze completely before
additional droplets become deposited on the first, click
supercooled water from each drop merges and spreads backwards across
the aircraft surface before freezing completely to form an ice with high
adhesive properties. Click
Clear ice tends to range from transparent to a very tough opaque layer and
builds back across the aircraft surface as well as forward into the air stream.
click
Mixed Ice click
When the temperature and the range of droplet size vary widely, the ice that
forms is a mixture of rime ice and clear ice. Click
This type of ice usually has more adhesive properties than rime ice, click
opaque in appearance, click
rough, and generally builds forward into
the air stream faster than it spreads back over the aircraft surface. click

Hoar Frost . click
Hoar frost is a light crystalline deposit which forms away from clouds and
precipitation. Click

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The temperature of the airframe must be below 0 deg C so that the moisture
present in the air can directly freeze over the a/c body. click
The Factors Affecting Icing are as flashed click
1. Liquid Water Content
2. Temperature
3. Droplet size
4. Cloud type
5. Airfoil geometry
6. Airspeed
7. Duration of exposure. click

1. Effect of Liquid Water Content click
The liquid water content of a cloud is dependent on the size and
number of droplets in a given volume of air. Click
The greater the liquid water content, the more serious the icing
potential. Clouds with strong vertical updrafts generally have a higher
liquid water content as the updrafts prevent even the large drops from
precipitating. click

2. Effect of Temperature (House question)
Can anybody guess what may be the worst icing condition in terms of
temperature range?
Click
Temperature affects both the severity and the type of icing. click
at temperatures between 0C and -20C, severe clear icing is likely. click

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at temperatures between -20C and -40C, light rime icing is likely; and
small possibility of moderate to severe rime or mixed icing in newly
developed clouds. click
at temperatures below -40C, there is little chance of aircraft icing
because at this temperature droplets freeze in air and become snow
particles. click

4. Effect of Droplet size click
Droplet diameter is expressed in micron (m)
Usually cloud droplets have a diameter less than 50
microns. Nevertheless, sometimes, larger droplets from 50
to 500 microns (called freezing drizzle or freezing rain) can be
found. Click
These large droplets are usually defined as Supercooled
Large Droplets (SLD) and represent a significant icing hazard
because no aircraft has been proved to fly safely under these
conditions. Droplets size affects the collection of water drops by the
airframe: small droplets tend to impact the airfoil near the
leading edge while larger droplets tend to impact further back. click

Effect of Aerofoil geometry click

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How quickly a surface collects ice depends in part on its shape.
Thin, modern wings will be more critical with ice on them than
thick, older wing sections. The tail surfaces of an airplane will
normally ice up much faster than the wing. If the tail stalls due
to ice and the airflow disruption it causes, recovery is unlikely at
low altitudes. click
Effect of Airspeed click
With more airspeed, more number of supercooled droplets
will be hitting the aircraft. So greater airspeed will cause
rapid ice formation on aircraft surfaces. click
The Effects of Icing on Aircraft
CLICK
2. Effects on Wing and tail surfaces. Click, Ice accumulation on wing
and tail surfaces disturbs the air flow around them. Click This reduces the
lift and click increases drag causing the aircraft to stall at higher airspeeds.
click

4. Effects on Propeller. Click
Icing on the propeller hub and blades reduces the efficiency of the propeller,
which results in reduction of thrust. Greater power settings will be

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required to produce adequate thrust to maintain required airspeed, hence,
more fuel will be consumed. Click
Ice accumulation on propeller blades causes vibration on the propeller.
Click
This imbalance/vibration causes excessive stress on the engine mounts as
well as on the propeller itself. click



5. Effects on Controls. click
Icing on Control surfaces may jam them and their movement may become
stiff and erratic. Click In addition, the loss of lift on control surfaces will
reduce their effectiveness. click

6. Pitot tube and Static Pressure Ports. click
If icing occurs on the pitot tube and static pressure ports, it will result in
inaccurate altimeter and airspeed reading which can be very dangerous
during landing approach.
click
8. Radio Antennae. click
The principal danger of an ice accumulation on an exposed radio
antenna is the probable loss of radio communication. The pilot, therefore,


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loses the ability to communicate when he needs it, in order to request a
change of altitude or to alter his heading in order to get out of the icing
zone as rapidly as possible. . Click
10. Engine.
Engine air intakes may get blocked or restricted causing disturbed airflow to
engine, resulting in to flame outs. click
Tiny ice crystals (undetected by pilots and weather radars) may be sucked
in great amounts inside jet engines and become a hazard on high-altitude
storms because they can mix after melting and arrive in liquid form to
combustion chambers and put out the flame.

click
Strategies For Avoiding Icing: click
1. few of Weather Briefing Tips which can be helpful in icing avoidance
click
Areas of FZRA (freezing rain) and FZDZ (freezing drizzle) are very
likely to produce icing conditions. So avoid flying in these areas click
A report of 50% relative humidity usually implies icing conditions.
click
Avoid flying Closer to the centre of a low pressure system, as moisture
moves upwards faster. This results in icing conditions at higher
altitudes. click

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2. Never fly with frost on your aircraft. Using water to remove frost creates
clear ice. Use the sun to remove it and be sure the airframe is dry prior to
takeoff. click
3. Use early warning devices on your aircraft: corners of windshields,
through windshield thermometers, and wing strut steps are all early
warning devices for icing conditions. click
4. A halo indicates that the cloud consists of mainly ice crystals so likelihood
of icing is less. A corona on the other hand indicates presence of water. If
flying above the clouds then a circle of colors around the shadow of aircraft
indicates presence of water droplets click
5. Any time you experience visible moisture (fog, clouds, rain), use pitot
heat immediately. click
6. Stay clear of clouds if possible. Clouds are visible moisture and are likely
to provide you an icing experience to remember, particularly at the tops. If
you are flying through a cloud which is causing ice buildup, the bottom of
the cloud is less likely to give you more ice than the top. You might be able
to descend 1000 feet to clear the cloud or stop the icing. click
7. If you are leaving an area of icing by climbing or descending, use gentle
control movements. Climb and descend at moderate angles of attack. click
8. Induction icing can be just as serious a problem. Use carburettor heat
when icing conditions exist. If using carburettor heat and alternate air, lean
the mixture to improve engine performance and increase engine operating
temperature. click

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9. During landing, use a stabilized approach with minimal use of flaps and
avoid large power changes. click
De-icing Methods
On Ground de-icing methods are: click,
1. Aircraft De-icing Fluids
2. Hot Water Aircraft De-icing
3. Forced Air De-icing System click
Aircraft De-icing Fluids click
Aircraft de-icing fluids (ADFs) are organized into four classes: Type I, Type
II, Type
III, Type IV. Click
The two freezing-point depressants that can be found in them are either
propylene glycol or ethylene glycol. The fluids are categorized based on their
properties
Type I and Type IV are the most commonly used fluids today. click
Hot Water Aircraft De-icing click
Hot water de-icing helps reduce the amount of ADFs used for de-icing
operations. Hot water de-icing requires to heat and distribute water over the
aircraft surface with water temperature of at least 140F. click
Hot water de-icing has fewer operating costs than using Aircraft Deicing
Fluids alone as the required volume of these fluids, particularly of Type I, is
reduced.
click
Forced Air De-icing System click

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Forced air de-icing system delivers high-pressure air to the aircraft surface
and click
Is effective in removing dry, powder snow. In some cases, an aircraft deicing
fluid can be added to the air stream to create a hybrid system that can be
more effective in removing ice and wet snow. Overall, forced air deicing
systems do not eliminate the need for Aircraft Deicing Fluids and are not
cost-effective in areas where icy conditions and heavy wet snow dominate.
click
In flight de-icing methods are click
Pneumatic ,Bleed Air and Electro thermal systems click
Pneumatic systems click
In flight ice build ups are most frequent on the leading edges of the wings,
tail and engines (including the propellers or fan blades).Slow speed aircraft
frequently use pneumatic de-icing boots on the leading edges of wings and
tail for in flight de-icing. click
The rubber coverings are periodically inflated by compressed air through
ducts in these rubber boots, causing ice to crack and flake off. Click
Once the system is activated by the pilot, the inflation/deflation cycle is
automatically controlled. click

Bleed air system click
Many modern civil fixed-wing transport aircraft use anti-ice systems on the
leading edge of wings, engine inlets and air data probes using warm air. This

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is bled from engines and is ducted into a cavity beneath the surface to be
anti-iced. The warm air heats the surface up to a few degrees above 0 C
(32 F), preventing ice from forming. Click
The system may operate autonomously, switching on and off as the aircraft
enters and leaves icing conditions. Click
Electro thermal systems click
Some aircraft may also use electrically heated resistive elements embedded
in a rubber sheet cemented to the leading edges of wings and tail surfaces.
click
When ice is detected, they first function as de-icing systems, then as anti-
icing systems for continued flight in icing conditions.. click

Conclusion
Gentlemen, you observed that how icing affects the aircraft and its
performance, And What can be its possible causes. By Keeping in view the
causes of icing, its indicators, areas of known icing and its avoidance
techniques we may able to avoid or coupe up with icing conditions . I
hope that the knowledge that we gained from this presentation to be
helpful for us in our future flying. Click





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