Effects of Discontinuous Thermal Conductivity of a Substrate Surface on Ice Adhesion Strength

This study proposes a novel anti-icing model in which silicone rubber with low thermal conductivity is coated at different positions on a material surface to change the continuity of the thermal conductivity of the surface. During the test, the surfaces of aluminum alloy and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) are discontinuously coated with silicone rubber. Repeated experiments are conducted to verify the anti-icing effect of the proposed model. Results showed that compared to the conventional surface ice adhesion strength, the rate of reduction of the ice adhesion strength of the aluminum alloy and PMMA could reach 75.07% and 76.70%, respectively, when the novel method is used. Because of the different levels of thermal conductivity at different positions on the material surface, the water attached to the surface locations without the coated silicone rubber had other freezing times. Combined with the heat and phase change of water during the freezing process, changing the stability of the interface between the ice and substrate could act as an active anti-icing power. The ice adhesion strength on the material surface could then be reduced. Compared with the conventional anti-icing methods, the anti-icing method proposed in this study could significantly increase the active anti-icing characteristics of the material and provide a novel anti-icing method for use in engineering applications.