The composite wing structure, which was designed under the ‘Electro-thermal Laminar Wing Ice Protection System Demonstrator’ (ELWIPS) programme, boosts efficiency, has reduced weight and can protect against ice build-up, it has been claimed.
The AMRC designed and built the composite wing structure which incorporates electric heating technology and power control systems developed by Meggitt subsidiaries in the UK and France.
Meanwhile, AeroTex, leaders in icing prevention and prediction, determined the sizing, zoning, power rating and control strategy for the heaters. ELWIPS was managed by aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation and the European Union contributed €888,000 (£758,000) of funding towards the project.
The programme has now concluded successfully following wind tunnel testing by the US air and space agency, NASA, in the United States.
Dr Tim Swait, technical lead at the AMRC Composite Centre, said: “The whole development process has taught us a tremendous amount and generated a lot of data that will be very useful in future projects.
“The heating technology developed by Meggitt is very impressive and has great commercial potential. Tests in the NASA wind tunnel showed it could prevent ice from forming in the first place and would also shed ice if it was allowed to form on the wing.
“If the system is developed commercially it will be a major step forward for lighter aircraft and could have implications for the construction of greener large commercial aircraft.”
The ELWIPS programme was among different research programmes in a €1.6 billion ‘Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative’ aimed at developing technologies that can feed into the next generation of aircraft.
