AIRA - Aircraft Icing Research Alliance

Complete List of AIRA Research Focus Areas (RFA)

Priority RFAs are highlighted below in bold. Return to the list of Priority AIRA RFAs.

Icing Conditions New RFA # Research Focus Area
High Water Ice Content (HIWC) 1 Icing of Primary Aircraft Measurement Systems
2 High Ice Water Content (HIWC) Engine Icing
3 High ice water content (HIWC) characterization
4 Forecasting of High Ice Water Content Conditions
Supercooled Large Droplets (SLD) 5 Aircraft Performance and Handling Qualities in Icing: Appendix C, SLD, ZR (particle size, liquid/ total water content, temperature)
HIWC and SLD 6 Instrumentation standards for in-flight icing research, tunnel measurements, test techniques, analysis methods and certification flight test
7 Advanced simulator capabilities for calibration, development and evaluation (large droplet, low liquid water, small droplet, ice particles)
8 Characterization Instrumentation Improvement
9 Remote sensing systems for detecting cloud properties
10 76. Flight crew awareness and decision making in icing conditions
11 Scaling
SLD, Appendix C and Ground 12 Nowcasting development and validation
13 CFD Tools: Development, validation, intercomparisons and establishment of standards
14 Fluid integrity detection system
Aerodynamic Performance and Handling Qualities 15 Effects due to minor ice accretion or roughness on airfoils and finite wings
Aircraft System Performance 16 Aircraft anti/ de-icing systems and loss of effectiveness under severe conditions
17 Ice detection systems
18 Detection of minor ice accretion and icing near the freezing point
19 Low adhesion materials
20 Advanced icing protection systems
21 Propeller and rotor efficiency in icing
22 Systems for real time performance modeling, monitoring and flight control in ice accretion
Atmospheric Characterization 23 Climatology of in-flight icing environments
24 All liquid, mixed phase, all ice phase characterization
25 Clustering, variability and extent of icing conditions
26 Appropriate statistical descriptors of cloud and icing properties
27 Frequency of occurrence
28 Modeling of icing environments for icing simulations
29 SLD formation mechanisms
30 Measurement and analysis practices
Weather and Forecasting 31 Numerical forecast models of icing conditions
32 Terminology/ symbology of icing conditions
33 Dissemination of weather information
34 Diagnostic models of icing conditions
35 Forecasting development and validation
36 Meteorological definitions for icing potential
Facilities, Simulators and Instrumentation Systems 37 Integrated instrumentation for in-flight icing research
38 Airborne and ground-based remote sensing systems for cloud properties characterization
39 Calibration facilities and methods development
40 Remote sensing systems for ice shape measurement in tunnels and on aircraft
41 Ice feature sensitivity studies
42 Validation database
43 Advanced icing tankers
44 Engine and engine component icing facilities
45 Ground facility development for ice crystal simulation
46 Ground facility development freezing rain simulation
47 Tunnel and code validation in atmospheric conditions
Fundamental Ice Physics 48 Roughness enhanced heat transfer
49 Improved turbulence modeling in icing codes
50 Ice formation mechanics
51 Warm temperature ice growth physics
52 Mixed phase ice growth physics
53 Large droplet dynamics
54 Ice phase dynamics
55 Swept wing ice formation
56 Accretion of wet snow
Ice Shedding 57 Ice shedding mechanisms
58 Trajectories of shed ice
59 Aerodynamic break-up
60 Impact Assessment
Propulsion and Powerplant Icing 61 Turbojet - engine icing physics and hazards
62 Turboprop - induction system icing physics and hazards
63 Shed ice ingestion
64 Propeller icing
Aircraft Icing While on the Ground 65 Aerodynamic effects of de/ anti icing fluids
66 Fluid performance and behavior
67 Improved atmospheric icing simulation facilities
68 Nowcasting airport winter weather
69 Aerodynamic effects of surfaces contaminated by frozen precipitation
70 Fast response precipitation type and rate sensors
71 Rotorcraft deicing
72 Advanced de/ anti-icing, including environmentally friendly methods
73 Performance effects of limited contamination
Runway Winter Contamination 74 Runway de-icing
75 Takeoff and landing performance on winter contaminated runways
76 Surface traction (runway, taxiway and ramps)
77 Advanced condition detection
Operations Human Factors and Training 78 Flight training devices for operations in icing conditions
79 Weather forecast training modules
80 Advanced control systems - masking of icing effects
81 Flight crew training module for operations in icing conditions
82 Safe Wing versus Clean Wing
83 Avoidance and escape
Safety, Economic Analysis and Risk Assessment 84 Analysis methodology and parameter values
85 Development of an incident/ accident data base
86 Sensitivity analysis of the data base
87 Cost benefit analysis
88 Research effectiveness analysis
Icing Specific to Rotorcraft Operations 89 Instrumentation for Rotorcraft Icing
90 Characterization of Rotorcraft Icing Environment
Emerging Technologies 91 Nanotechnology
92 MEMS