PFI:AIR-TT: Aircraft Icing Detection System

这一加速创新研究-技术转移(AIR-TT)项目的重点是将为测量土壤水分而开发的微波微带谐振器改造成飞机结冰检测仪器。微波微带谐振器用于土壤水分测量已有几十年的历史。密歇根大学开发了一项新技术，用于识别除冰液、液态水或冰的存在，并量化它们在谐振器表面的数量。该项目的重点是将这一发现转化为一种新型的飞机结冰探测仪器。结冰对飞机是危险的，而且结冰的方式很难被飞行员发现。此外，全球几乎所有地区全年都可能结冰，这使得探测和避免结冰成为飞行安全程序的重要组成部分。不幸的是，现有的结冰探测系统不能直接探测飞机结构上的结冰，因为结冰可能会扰乱气流并导致失控。本项目开发的飞机结冰探测系统填补了这一空白。一个原型微带谐振器将被开发出来，它将与飞机表面平齐安装。将做工作来关联频率和共振模式，以区分飞机表面一定厚度范围内的冰、水和海绵冰。预计这项工作将表明，该样机可以测量从亚毫米到几毫米的水和除冰液薄膜的厚度。该项目还将为各种研究生的教育做出贡献。该项目让硕士学生参与从研究发现到商业产品的技术转换工作。学生们将在学者和实践者的指导下获得实践经验。

This Accelerating Innovation Research-Technology Transfer (AIR-TT) project focuses on the transformation of a microwave microstrip resonator developed for measuring soil water content into an aircraft icing detection instrument. Microwave microstrip resonators have been used to measure soil water content for decades. A new technique for fingerprinting the presence of de-icing fluid, liquid water or ice and quantifying their amount on the surface of the resonator was developed at the University of Michigan. This project focuses on translating this discovery into a new type of instrument for aircraft ice detection. Icing is hazardous to aircraft and occurs in ways that are difficult for pilots to detect. In addition, icing can occur throughout the year in nearly all regions of the globe, making detection and avoidance an important component of flight safety procedures. Unfortunately, existing icing detection systems are not capable of detecting ice directly on the structure of airplanes, where ice accumulation could disrupt the airflow and cause loss of control. The aircraft icing detection system developed in this project fills this gap. A prototype microstrip resonator will be developed that will be mounted flush with the aircraft surface. Work will be done to correlate the frequencies and resonance modes to distinguish between ice, water, and spongy ice for a range of ice thicknesses on the aircraft surface. It is expected that the work will show that the prototype can measure the thickness of films of water and de-icing fluid ranging from sub-millimeter to a few millimeters.This project also contributes to the education of various graduate students. The project engages master students in technology translation efforts from research discovery toward commercial products. The students will gain hands on experience while being mentored by academics and practitioners.