| Abstract | To characterize and better understand how small-size propellers, operating at high RPM, perform in icing environments and investigate their tolerance for icing, the National Research Council Canada (NRC) has conducted a series of wind tunnel tests in the NRC altitude icing wind tunnel (AIWT). A number of generic off-the-shelf propellers, typical of those used on small Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (sRPAS), were tested under varying icing conditions. Tolerance for icing of the tested propellers was assessed based on the degradation of their thrust due to ice buildup on the blades, and the effect of the propeller size on icing of the blades was established. It was found that the thrust of larger propellers degrades much faster than smaller propellers with ice accumulation, and smaller propellers shed ice more frequently. |
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