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Monitoring icing and deicing on (micro)structured surfaces

Ice accretion causes malfunction and breakdown of wind power turbines, antennas and power lines. De-icing causes high environmental costs due to the consumed energy and chemicals. Still, icing and de-icing of surfaces is poorly understood. We lack microscopic information of the underlying processes close to the surface. We expect that space and time resolved information combined with the information on the stickiness of ice to the surface will foster our understanding of icing and deicing of surfaces, on cracks formation and propagation and on rupturing of surfaces.

The aim of this project is to study the efficiency of soft and hard micro-structured surface for anti-icing applications. The successful candidate will investigate where ice nucleates and how it grows? Does a structure fail during icing or de-icing? Where and how do cracks form and propagate? To gain the required space and time-resolved information, currently, we are setting up a homebuilt laser scanning confocal microscopy that is accompanied with an icing chamber. The candidate is expected to further develop the setup in team work, including the construction of an improved icing chamber that permits to work at temperatures down to -20 °C. Furthermore, the candidate will be in charge of combining the setup with a homebuilt device to measure the adhesion force.

The position requires:

  • Computer and mechanical engineering skills to further develop the setup
  • Background in physics or mechanical engineering for data analysis

For further information please contact:
Prof. Doris Vollmer, vollmerd@mpip-mainz.mpg.de

Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany

 

Position closed