A New Method Of Modelling Ice Accretion On Objects Of Complex Geometry

A three-dimensional random walk model has been developed to predict the shape of ice accretions on objects of complex geometry. As an example, the accretions on a hemisphere and on a cylinder are considered. The influence of the model parameters on the shape of the ice accretion has been examined. The range of parameters for which the icicles reach their maximum length has been identified. The model predicts a variety of accretion shapes including finger-like and curtain-like icicles. It has also been established that, to a first approximation, the icicle length has a uniform distribution.