De-ice and anti-ice system and method for aircraft surfaces

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The invention provides a unique laminate for bonding to the surface or portion of the surface of an aircraft to control the temperature of the surface and prevent the formation of and/or the accumulation of ice during in-flight or on the ground conditions.
Although the laminate is herein described for use on aircraft surfaces, the laminate may be used for any surface which requires anti-ice or de-ice capability and where a power source is available.
Such applications include roofs, gutters, pipes, automobile hoods and trunks, and the like.
The laminate comprises a thin, electrically conductive layer of flexible expanded graphite foil, also known as vermiform graphite, laminated to an outer heat conducting layer that seals the interior of the laminate against penetration and water damage.
The laminate is bonded, such as by an adhesive, to an electrically insulating layer such that the flexible expanded graphite layer is disposed below the heat conducting outer layer, with the electrically insulating layer below the graphite layer.
The insulating layer may be directly bonded to the laminate to form a third layer before application to the aircraft surface.
Alternatively, the insulating layer may be a component of the aircraft surface to which the two-layer laminate is applied.
The term "laminate", as used in the context of this invention, includes a laminate comprising the flexible expanded graphite, the heat conducting outer layer and the electrically insulating layer regardless of the form taken by the insulating layer.
The heat conducting outer layer may comprise any heat conducting material that is essentially an electrical non-conductor.
Preferably, the heat conducting outer layer comprises a thermoplastic or thermoset material containing a heat conducting inorganic filler.
More preferably, the heat conducting layer comprises a thermoplastic material, such as polyurethane, with a filler selected from aluminum nitride, boron nitride, alumina, and the like.
The flexible expanded graphite foil layer has a resistivity of about 1