A Coupled Experimental–Numerical Framework to Characterize Ice Fracture Mechanics for Vibration-Based De-Icing

Resonant-vibration de-icing offers a low-power alternative to electrothermal systems, but its effectiveness depends on ice fracture and ice–substrate interfacial failure under dynamic loading. This study develops a coupled experimental–numerical methodology to characterize ice fracture and interfacial delamination and assess ice-phobic coatings for vibration-based de-icing. A 1 mm thick 2024-T3 aluminum plate (50 × 130 mm) was suspended under free–free conditions and excited using a bonded piezoelectric actuator. Approximately 5 mm thick mold-ice layers were tested on bare aluminum and two coated substrates. Resonant modes were identified through low-amplitude frequency sweeps, followed by progressively increased excitation until cracking and complete delamination occurred. Plate acceleration and high-speed imaging characterized vibration response, crack initiation, and propagation, while an ABAQUS piezoelectric finite-element model determined stress fields and fracture metrics. Ice cracking occurred first at tensile stresses of 1.6–2.1 MPa, with fracture toughness values below 0.34 MPa√m, starting from the top of the ice layer where solicitation was maximum, all the way to the interface at the bottom of the ice layer. For bare aluminum, interfacial fracture followed the fracture of the ice layer, with toughness ranging from 0.25 to 0.36 MPa√m. An oven-cured silicone–acrylic coating reduced the required delamination power by approximately fourfold and lowered interface toughness to 0.16 MPa√m, although performance depended on curing and mechanical durability. A commercial coating was also tested, providing signification power reduction for the first two test repetitions, but no longer worked for subsequent testing due to its poor durability and mechanical performances. The framework enables evaluation of ice fracture, interfacial behavior, and coating durability under resonant excitation.