Magnets Used to De-ice Aircrafts
Have you ever been in a plane, ready to take to the skies, and they tell you there’s been a delay? That’s right, they have to de-ice the plane. It may be annoying, but if you have a window seat near a wing, it can be an interesting process to observe. You may also be interested to know that magnets are usually involved.
The accumulation of ice on the wings of planes and on helicopter rotors can be dangerous. Different techniques have been used through the ages, but research has advanced, and many now operate by transmitting power through magnets and coils. In such cases, electromagnetic impulses mechanically force ice from aircraft surfaces.
Typically, these systems use a bank of high voltage capacitors that are discharged through a coil positioned next to the interior of a leading edge surface (e.g., a fixed wing). This causes magnetic fields to form and collapse, inducing eddy currents in the aircraft, vibrating in a way that shatters the ice layer, allowing it to be blown off the surface.