Icing is a natural phenomenon affecting our daily life and safe operations in a variety of fields, spanning from aeronautics to ground systems and infrastructures (i.e. power lines, wind turbines or solar panels). The existing anti-icing solutions include both active and passive systems. The first are complex mechanical or energy-demanding thermal systems; the second are based on specialized materials (i.e. hydrophobic coatings, soft elastomers and lubricated surfaces) affected though by limited durability. The scientific approach of SMARTICE is based on a breakthrough idea of applying Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) to design novel passive and durable de-icing surfaces. The tuning of local mechanical and thermophysical properties can promote ice detachment through stress-localized fractures induced by the martensite-austenite transition of the SMA material.
Responsabile Unità Operativa: Mauro Mameli
Principal Investigator: Carlo Antonini
Capofila: Università degli studi di MILANO-BICOCCA
