21st Congress of International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, Melbourne, Australia, 13-18 September, 1998
Paper ICAS-98-6.7.1

ULTRASONIC TECHNOLOGY: A SOLUTION FOR IN-FLIGHT AND ON-GROUND ICE DETECTION

Le Pimpec M.
Intertechnique, France

Keywords: ultrasonic technology, ice detection

Detecting in-flight ice accretion on aircraft and measuring the effectiveness of anti-icing fluids before take-off are two major issues that are of prime importance for flight safety. Ultrasonic waves associated with a proper signal processing provide a powerful and effective mean to analyze the wing surface and to provide the pilot with accurate information related to icing events. This paper describes the issues to address while the aircraft flights or is on ground before taking off, the principles used for designing an ultrasonic ice detection and fluid monitoring system and, through the results of the related experimentation demonstrates the cogency of this technological approach.

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