Laboratory testing of insect contamination for laminar flow applications using an insect-impact test facility

Trevor M. Young, Edmond F. Tobin, Mariana Kok

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

Abstract

The effectiveness of drag-reducing laminar flow technologies can be limited by insect contamination on aircraft leading edges. Test equipment was developed to study insect impact events. The adhesion of Drosophila Melanogaster to five low-surface-energy coatings was evaluated (insect residue height and area were determined) and compared to measured surface energies and surface roughness. The dominant factor influencing the rupture speed (i.e. the lowest speed needed to fracture the exoskeleton) was seen to be the orientation of the insect body relative to the surface on impact.

Original languageEnglish
Pages996-1004
Number of pages9
Publication statusPublished - 2012
Event28th Congress of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences 2012, ICAS 2012 - Brisbane, Australia
Duration: 23 Sep 201228 Sep 2012

Conference

Conference28th Congress of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences 2012, ICAS 2012
Country/TerritoryAustralia
CityBrisbane
Period23/09/1228/09/12

Keywords

  • Coatings
  • Insect contamination
  • Laminar flow

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