Aviation: Improving safety through better icing models Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Marie S Curie Programme for Mariachiara Gallia
Dr Mariachiara Gallia is a senior scientist at the Institute of Fluid Mechanics at Technische Universität Braunschweig. Her research focuses on ice accretion on aircraft and rotorcraft. During her PhD at Politecnico di Milano (Italy), she worked on the modeling and design of electro-thermal ice protection system, she contributed to the development of “PoliMIce”, a software for ice accretion, and participated in the European project ICE-GENESIS, which aims to develop the next generation of 3D simulation tools for ice accretion. We asked her briefly about her work and what new perspectives the grant from the European Commission will open up.
Dr Mariachiara Gallia. Picture credits: Kristina Rottig/TU Braunschweig
You have been awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship. Congratulations! What does this mean for you?
The scholarship is a significant milestone in my career and I feel truly honoured. It will allow me to realise my own research ideas after completing my PhD on a topic I am deeply passionate about: in-flight icing. I hope that my work will help to increase our understanding and knowledge base of this complex problem and ultimately improve aviation safety.
You are researching icing on aircraft. Could you outline this very briefly – why does an aircraft ice up and why is this a problem?
Aircraft icing occurs when an aircraft flies through clouds that contain supercooled water droplets that are still liquid at a temperature below freezing. When these droplets hit the surface of the aircraft, ice forms. Ice can accumulate on critical surfaces such as wing leading edges, engine inlets and pitot tubes (instrument for measuring airflow velocity).
The ice changes the aerodynamic shape of the wings and rotor blades, which can significantly reduce lift and increase drag. This requires additional engine power and impairs safety. Furthermore, icing can obstruct visibility, lead to power losses in engines and block important sensors and ventilation openings. These effects can lead to dangerous accidents. According to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) report from 2019, in-flight icing is a major safety risk for large aircraft, which emphasises the importance of my research focus.
What is the RESET project, which you are now researching as part of the scholarship, about?
The RESET project, which stands for “REthinking in-flight icing modelS validation through intEgrated uncerTainty analysis”, focuses on the re-evaluation of how numerical models for the simulation of ice formation are assessed and how experimental tests integrate with these simulations. The mechanisms of ice formation are still not fully understood, and the lack of validated simulation tools forces aircraft manufacturers to perform expensive wind tunnel and flight tests to fulfil safety regulations and to test the performance of ice protection systems at great expense. A consensus on the reliability of compliance simulations, also known as certification by analysis, could reduce the reliance on costly testing. However, challenges remain due to the lack of validated simulation tools, forcing designers to rely on conservative, time-tested solutions with proven certification histories that do not align with the latest research advances and improvements.
My research aims to change the way icing models are validated by investigating the biases due to uncertainties. I propose a new statistical approach to validation.
Furthermore, my research aims to achieve a two-way exchange between experiments and numerical simulation, where there is a continuous exchange of information between the two and one can benefit from the other. If this methodology proves successful, it has the potential to transform model validation in other aeronautical applications such as combustion, and fluid-structure interactions and provide reliable tools for aerospace design and certification.
And one last question: you come from Italy and are continuing your career at TU Braunschweig – what makes the university attractive in your eyes?
The TU Braunschweig’s reputation for excellence in aviation research is a major incentive for me to work at this institution. In particular, the Institute of Fluid Mechanics is known for its state-of-the-art facilities, especially the icing wind tunnel, a unique research facility at European universities. This resource will be crucial for my research on icing. In addition, the presence of leading experts in the field provides an excellent environment for mentoring and collaboration, which I believe is crucial for my development as a researcher.