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An electrothermal heater assembly, configured to be embedded inside a component for anti-icing and/or deicing the component, includes a titanium foil configured for use as a heating element, at least one reinforcement layer adjacent the titanium foil, and an adhesive configured to bond the titanium

An electrothermal heater assembly, configured to be embedded inside a component for anti-icing and/or deicing the component, includes a titanium foil configured for use as a heating element, at least one reinforcement layer adjacent the titanium foil, and an adhesive configured to bond the titanium foil to the at least one reinforcement layer. The heater assembly is configured such that the titanium foil carries a structural load within the heater assembly.

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1. An electrothermal heater assembly configured to be embedded inside a component for anti-icing and/or deicing the component, the heater assembly comprising: a titanium foil configured for use as a heating element;at least one reinforcement layer adjacent the titanium foil; andan adhesive configure

1. An electrothermal heater assembly configured to be embedded inside a component for anti-icing and/or deicing the component, the heater assembly comprising: a titanium foil configured for use as a heating element;at least one reinforcement layer adjacent the titanium foil; andan adhesive configured to bond the titanium foil to the at least one reinforcement layer, wherein the heater assembly is configured such that the titanium foil carries a structural load from and transfers a structural load to the at least one reinforcement layer by being subjected to a surface treatment prior to bonding the titanium foil to the at least one reinforcement layer, and the surface treatment removes mechanically weak oxides and oils on a surface of the titanium foil to facilitate stable bonding;wherein the surface treatment comprises soaking the titanium foil in a nitric acid/hydrofluoric acid solution, treating the titanium foil with a light alkaline cleaner to neutralize the nitric/hydrofluoric acid, etching the titanium foil, cleaning the titanium foil with either ultrasonic water treatment or an acetone wipe, and coating the titanium foil with a resin primer. 2. The heater assembly of claim 1 wherein the titanium foil is selected from a group consisting of a commercially pure titanium and a titanium alloy. 3. The heater assembly of claim 1 wherein the titanium foil has a thickness ranging from about 0.5 mils to about 5 mils. 4. The heater assembly of claim 3 wherein the thickness of the titanium foil is about 1 mil. 5. The heater assembly of claim 1 wherein the titanium foil is configured into a shape suitable for using the foil as a heating element. 6. The heater assembly of claim 5 wherein the titanium foil includes a support layer. 7. The heater assembly of claim 1 wherein the adhesive is an adhesive film insertable between the titanium foil and the at least one reinforcement layer. 8. The heater assembly of claim 1 wherein the adhesive is a resin applied to the at least one reinforcement layer and the titanium foil. 9. The heater assembly of claim 1 wherein the adhesive is electrically insulating. 10. The heater assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one reinforcement layer is selected from a group consisting of fabric, unidirectional tape, discontinuous mat, and polymeric film. 11. The heater assembly of claim 10 wherein the fabric includes fibers selected from a group consisting of carbon, glass, polymer and ceramic. 12. The heater assembly of claim 10 wherein the polymeric film includes polyimide. 13. The heater assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one reinforcement layer is electrically insulating. 14. A gas turbine engine component comprising: a body; anda heater assembly embedded inside the body and configured for delivering heat to the body, the heater assembly comprising: a titanium foil for use as a heating element;a reinforcement layer positioned between the body and the titanium foil; andan adhesive for adhering the titanium foil to the reinforcement layer, wherein the titanium foil is configured to carry and transfer a structural load within the component by being subjected to a surface treatment prior to bonding the titanium foil to the reinforcement layer, and the surface treatment removes mechanically weak oxides and oils on a surface of the titanium foil to facilitate stable bonding;wherein the surface treatment comprises soaking the titanium foil in a nitric acid/hydrofluoric acid solution, treating the titanium foil with a light alkaline cleaner to neutralize the nitric/hydrofluoric acid, etching the titanium foil, cleaning the titanium foil with either ultrasonic water treatment or an acetone wipe, and coating the titanium foil with a resin primer. 15. The gas turbine engine component of claim 14 wherein the titanium foil has a thickness between approximately 0.5 mils and approximately 5.0 mils. 16. The gas turbine engine component of claim 15 wherein the thickness of the titanium foil is between approximately 1.0 mil and approximately 3.0 mils. 17. The gas turbine engine component of claim 14 wherein the reinforcement layer is selected from a group consisting of fabric, unidirectional tape, discontinuous mat, and polymeric film. 18. The gas turbine engine component of claim 17 wherein the fabric is comprised of fibers selected from a group consisting of carbon, glass, polymer and ceramic. 19. The gas turbine engine component of claim 14 wherein the reinforcement layer is electrically non-conductive and insulates the titanium foil. 20. The gas turbine engine component of claim 14 wherein the adhesive is selected from a group consisting of bismaleimide, epoxy, polyimide, polyester, phenolic, cyanate ester, and phthalonitrile. 21. The gas turbine engine component of claim 14 wherein the titanium foil is etched to form a shape that is suitable for optimizing a heat distribution from the foil to the body. 22. A method of forming a heater assembly having a metallic heater element capable of carrying a structural load within a turbine engine component, the method comprising: preparing a titanium foil for use as a heater element by performing a surface treatment on the titanium foil which removes mechanically weak oxides and oils on a surface of the titanium foil such that the titanium foil is capable of forming a strong bond with at least one reinforcement layer, wherein the surface treatment comprises soaking the titanium foil in a nitric acid/hydrofluoric acid solution, treating the titanium foil with a light alkaline cleaner to neutralize the nitric/hydrofluoric acid, etching the titanium foil, cleaning the titanium foil with either ultrasonic water treatment or an acetone wipe, and coating the titanium foil with a resin primer;bonding the titanium foil to the at least one reinforcement layer to form the heater assembly capable of carrying a structural load from and transferring load to the at least one reinforcement layer; andembedding the heater assembly inside the component. 23. The method of claim 22 wherein preparing the titanium foil includes etching the foil to form a shape suitable for optimizing use of the foil as a heater element. 24. The method of claim 22 wherein bonding the titanium foil to the at least one reinforcement layer is performed by a film adhesive placed between the foil and the at least one reinforcement layer. 25. The method of claim 22 wherein bonding the titanium foil to the at least one reinforcement layer is performed by a resin that is injected into the titanium foil and the at least one reinforcement layer.