IMPACT - Aircraft advanced rear end and empennage optimisation enhanced by anti-ice coatings and devices.

The research project is a 36-months project started in September 2020 and coordinated by AIT (Austrian Institute of Technology). IMPACT tackles all the challenges of the call “Rear fuselage and empennage shape optimization including antiicing technologies” by unlocking the capability to perform fast and accurate 3D ice accretion simulation suitable for non-straight leading-edge empennages, accounting for effects of passive anti-ice coatings and devices like leading-edge undulations, by characterising, integrating, and exploiting the passive anti-ice coatings and devices for non-straight leading-edge empennage configurations, reaching TRL 5 at the end of the project and by developing and applying innovative aerostructural optimisation methods for advanced rear ends (ARE), including the effects of the passive antiice coatings and devices, to minimise drag and include structural and aeroelastic constraints. The project will validate the accuracy of the 3D icing accretion simulations and the performance of passive anti-ice coating and devices by means of large scale icing wind tunnel (IWT) experimental tests. IMPACT will ultimately support Airbus’ progress with the advanced rear end concept, enhancing the competitiveness of the European LPA industry and value chain. IMPACT Partners are AIT, CEST, ANSYS Canada, EUROTECH company, University of Southampton, etc. and AIRBUS is the topic leader.