HYGRATEK LLC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N182-115

Description

Icing conditions create significant safety concerns within the aircraft turbomachinery, and in surrounding nacelles, stators, and thrust vectoring surfaces. Icephobic surfaces could significantly reduce the accretion of ice within these components, allowing for safer operation. However, even after decades of research, there are no known icephobic coatings that can function in aircraft engine realistic air speeds and operational environments. HygraTek has recently developed extremely durable elastomeric coatings, that display some of the lowest ice-adhesion strength values ever reported, and can be spray or dip-coated onto any substrate. We have also recently developed the first-ever metal-based icephobic coatings. These are the most durable icephobic coatings ever produced, and to our knowledge, the only coatings that have passed rain-erosion testing. As part of this proposal, we will evaluate the suitability of the developed elastomeric and metal-based icephobic coatings for passively shedding ice under engine realistic operational environments. Apart from extensive durability and ice-adhesion testing, we will evaluate ice-accumulation under different icing conditions in a wind tunnel. We will also evaluate compatibility with legacy de-icing systems, as well as the heat required to de-ice coated airfoils. Finally, we will conduct rain erosion and high cycle fatigue testing on the best icephobic system developed.