DLR Tests Experimental Vibrational Anti-Icing System
Germany's DLR aerospace research agency is preparing to conduct flight testing of vibrational anti-icing technology as it works to conclude the project this year. The piezo-electric anti-icing application is initially being targeted towards ducted-fan propeller blades, but DLR has concluded it could also benefit a wider variety of aircraft.
The research is being conducted at DLR's Innovation Center for Small Aircraft Technologies, based in Aachen. This facility—dedicated to investigating electric flight and urban mobility related to small aircraft—is also used for flight testing from the adjacent Aachen Merzbrük airport.
Piezo-electric technology involves converting electrical energy into a mechanical output. In this specific application, two piezo-ceramic actuators are applied to the base of a blade causing it to expand and contract depending on the frequency applied. The resulting warping and torsion of the surface induces stresses in any accumulated ice.
The DLR believes learnings from this research could lead to a new approach to de-icing systems in which the use of chemicals is replaced with a more sustainable approach. Significantly, the system’s minimal power requirements would also make it ideal for upcoming electric aircraft.
Speaking to AIN at the recent Aero Friedrichshafen show, the DLR explained that although piezo technology’s de-icing potential has been explored before, this specific project started in 2024. However, the ability to integrate it into an existing rotorblade structure is new, as is the ducted fan application for the technology.
Moving Towards a First Flight
DLR researchers are now broadening the assessment of potential further applications for the technology as they prepare for a first test flight. This will use the Future Vision S2TOL Jet Demonstrator, which is a clean-sheet, all-electric gyrocopter featuring a pair of ducted fans. It is being developed by the DLR and nearby Institute of Jet Propulsion and Turbomachinery at RWTH Aachen University.
This short take-off-and-landing model is aiming for a takeoff and landing distance of around 100 meters (328 feet). This could be reduced to 30 meters using a motor for the pre-rotation of the main blades. The powertrain will be provided by Jetpel, a start-up based at Aachen University, which is focusing on a ducted propeller it calls the jetpeller.
According to Jetpel, the powertrain includes “a proprietary architecture and blade design that largely cuts noise generation and propagation, in combination with a modular, hybrid-electric powertrain platform.” The DLR is helping to scale up components as part of its effort to transfer technology to possible future aircraft.
