EDDY CURRENT REPULSION DEICING STRIP

AN INNOVATIVE AND UNIQUE DEICING SYSTEM IS PROPOSED WHICH ISWELL SUITED FOR COMPOSITE AIRCRAFT LEADING EDGES. HELICOPTER ROTORS, ENGINE INLETS, AS WELL AS MANY RECENTLY DESIGNED AIRCRAFT, ARE COMMONLY COMPOSITE. IN THE PROPOSED DESIGN A THIN SPIRAL COIL IS ENCAPSULATED IN ELASTOMER AND BONDED TO THE COMPOSITE LEAD EDGE. A THIN METAL STRIP IS FORMED ACROSS THE LEAD EDGE OVER THE COIL. A BANK OF CAPACITORS DISCHARGES THROUGH THE COIL, INDUCING EDDY CURRENTS IN THE THIN METAL STRIP AND CREATING THE IMPULSE DEICING FORCE. THE OUTER STRIP SERVES AS A SURFACE FOR THE COLLECTION AND SHEDDING OF ICE AND DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES. SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES OF THE PROPOSED EDDY CURRENT REPULSION DEICING STRIP (EDS) OVER OTHER ELECTRICAL IMPULSE DEICING SYSTEMS FOLLOW: 1. NO STRESS OR FATIGUE OF THE AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE, ONLY TO THE REPLACEABLE, OUTER METAL STRIP. 2. EASY TO RETROFIT, THERE IS NO IMPACT ON AIRCRAFT DESIGN OR STRUCTURE. 3. PROVIDES A TOUGH, EROSION RESISTANT METAL LEAD EDGE. 4. MINIMUM EMI DUE TO THE SHIELDING EFFECT OF THE METAL. 5. ICE DOES NOT ADHERE TO METAL AS WELL AS TO ELASTOMER.