NASA’s Cool Research Continues

With additional research required on SLDs and engine core ice accre­tion, new updates always in demand for the LEWICE software, and the still-unknown always waiting to be discovered, NASA maintains its research capability concentrated within the Icing Branch at GRC. The branch performs research activities related to the development of meth­ods for evaluating and simulating the growth of ice on aircraft surfaces, the effects that ice may have on the behavior of aircraft in flight, and the behavior of ice protection and detection systems. The branch is part of the Research and Technology Directorate and works closely with the staff of the Icing Research Tunnel and the Twin Otter Icing Research Aircraft. Its mission is to develop validated simulation methods—for use in both computer programmed and real-world experiments—suit­able for use as both certification and design tools when evaluating air­craft systems for operation in icing conditions. The Icing Branch also fosters the development of ice protection and ice detection systems by actively supporting and maintaining resident technical expertise, exper­imental facilities, and computational resources. NASA’s Aircraft Icing Project at GRC is organized into three sections: Design and Analysis Tools, Aircraft Ice Protection, and Education and Training.[1262]