An effective deicing system is needed to be designed to conveniently remove ice from the surfaces of structures. In this paper, an ultrasonic deicing system for different configurations was estimated and verified based on finite element simulations. The research focused on deicing efficiency factor (DEF) discussions, prediction, and validations. Firstly, seven different configurations of Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) disk actuators with the same volume but different radius and thickness were adopted to conduct harmonic analysis. The effects of PZT shape on shear stresses and optimal frequencies were obtained. Simultaneously, the average shear stresses at the ice/substrate interface and total energy density needed for deicing were calculated. Then, a coefficient named deicing efficiency factor (DEF) was proposed to estimate deicing efficiency. Based on these results, the optimized configuration and deicing frequency are given. Furthermore, four different icing cases for the optimize configuration were studied to further verify the rationality of DEF. The effects of shear stress distributions on deicing efficiency were also analyzed. At same time, a cohesive zone model (CZM) was introduced to describe interface behavior of the plate and ice layer. Standard-explicit co-simulation was utilized to model the wave propagation and ice layer delamination process. Finally, the deicing experiments were carried out to validate the feasibility and correctness of the deicing system.

High-temperature phosphate adhesives are widely used in the aerospace and nuclear power industries. However, complex residual stresses can result when the curing temperature parameters are unreasonable due to the brittleness of the adhesive. To reveal the curing temperature mechanism affecting the bonding strength of the phosphate adhesives, several curing temperature curves (CT-1~6) were designed for the single lap joint (SLJ) using phosphate adhesive. The residual stress helped to reveal the relationship between the curing temperature parameters and the bonding performance. In this process, the residual stress of the silicon carbide joint was measured using micro-Raman spectroscopy, and the tensile strength of the joint was tested. A cohesive zone model (CZM) was established with Abaqus^® to verify the results, and the numerical results from the model agreed well with the experimental values. The residual stress and adhesive strength were obviously affected by curing temperature. The reasonable curing temperature curves have the benefits of reducing the residual stress and improving the bonding strength.

Ice accretion endangers the safety and reliability of equipment operation in frigid regions. Silicone polymer icephobic coatings present themselves as an effective strategy. However, they face durability challenges, which is a crucial foundation for expanding their application. In this work, a durable icephobic coating was prepared based on an epoxy/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) gel. In the process, epoxy was used to improve mechanical performance. IPN technology was used to integrate PDMS and epoxy. Low-molecular-weight silicone oil was used to adjust the elastic modulus of the coating by reducing crosslinking. The mechanical properties, icephobicity and durability of the coatings were characterized through elastic modulus measurements, ice adhesion strength tests, and icing/deicing cycle tests, respectively. Results shows the ice adhesion strength of the epoxy/PDMS IPN gel coating was approximately 8 kPa when the elastic modulus was 0.18 MPa. Additionally, the epoxy/PDMS IPN gel has good durability, weather resistance, and substrate adhesion. After 25 icing/deicing cycle tests, the coating remained undamaged, and the ice adhesion strength was stable in the range of 3–14 kPa. Within the range of −5 to −30 °C, the ice adhesion strength of the coating was stable and less than 20 kPa. After 168 h of salt spray aging test, the ice adhesion strength of the coating was maintained at 48.72 ± 5.27 kPa. This can provide a reference for an icephobic coating design.