Studying Ice Nucleation and Freezing Front Propagation with Infrared and Laser Speckle Imaging

Clear ice formation on aircraft is a large economic and safety problem. The phenomenon, also known as ‘freezing rain’, usually occurs when subcooled rain droplets impact the aircraft while it descends from high altitude to prepare for landing. It can quickly increase the aerodynamic drag by up to 80% and reduce the lift force by 50%. Inefficient...