Anti-ice coating

[Charles]

I know we've discussed this before, but those claims are becoming hard to ignore:

Anti-Icing - The superhydrophobic properties of Ultra-Ever dry keeps coated materials completely dry, eliminating the formation of ice.

http://www.spillcontainment.com/everdry

At $55 a quart, it sounds like a cheap way to get some ice protection. I'm tempted to give it a try on my plane and coat the leading edges of the wing and stabilizer and the propeller. They claim their coating will last 2-8 months in direct sunlight. Perhaps one coat each fall would suffice to get me through winter.

What do you guys think?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... PM8OR6W6WE[/youtube]

[Rich]

Maybe. First question, as always, is whether the chemical makeup of the product is compatible with our composite structures.

And if you put it just on the leading edges you still can have to deal with frost and such on the other surfaces. If you remove that with chemicals (alcohol or whatever), what does it do to the coating.

But there is also the question of the dynamics of ice formation. In the super-cooled droplet scenario the liquid water is below the freezing point but hasn't formed the crystals yet. It's the disturbance of hitting the airframe that causes the phase-change. Will it be enough that it's repelled while it's liquid to keep it from adhering to the airframe? It's worth testing, I suppose, if the chemical questions are answered.

[Gasser]

Since your obviously only using it for inadvertent encounters, it sounds like cheap insurance. It might buy you enough time to get to safety.

Is it safe to put on the acrylic windscreen?

[Charles]

I'm not sure it's transparent. They say it will give a matte finish where it's applied.

As for compatibility with the composite, I'm not sure where the coating would contact the composite if it's applied over the paint. And polyurethane paint is known for its chemical stability. It's worth investigating beforehand, for sure.

[Rich]

I'm not sure it's transparent. They say it will give a matte finish where it's applied.

As for compatibility with the composite, I'm not sure where the coating would contact the composite if it's applied over the paint. And polyurethane paint is known for its chemical stability. It's worth investigating beforehand, for sure.

Recall that Diamond says to not use a silicon-based wax on the airplane. Paint is porous, actually

[Steve]

I wonder if it would keep the bugs off the leading edges? The demo is certainly cool.

Steve

[Lance Murray]

add some 3m tape on the leading edge coated with this stuff. Worth a test.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/c ... ckkey=9609

[Lance Murray]

http://on.ted.com/Shaw

[CFIDave]

Another concern I would have is durability: how long would such a coating hold up after being pelted with sleet or small hail when flying at 150 knots? Will it survive scrubbing after each flight to remove insects?

The airfoil titanium leading edge of a TKS system and rubber boots are quite durable.

[Lance Murray]

Abrasion and uv will wear the coating as stated on their website.