 |
|
Self-repairing aircraft could revolutionize aviation safety
May 20, 2008A new technique that mimics healing processes found in nature could enable damaged aircraft to mend themselves automatically, even during a flight.
As well as the obvious safety benefits, this breakthrough could make it possible to design lighter aeroplanes in future (see below). This would lead to fuel savings, cutting costs for airlines and passengers and reducing carbon emissions too.
The technique works like this. If a tiny hole/crack appears in the aircraft (e.g. due to wear and tear, fatigue, a stone striking the plane etc), epoxy resin would 'bleed' from embedded vessels near the hole/crack and quickly seal it up, restoring structural integrity. By mixing dye into the resin, any 'self-mends' could be made to show as coloured patches that could easily be pinpointed during subsequent ground inspections, and a full repair carried out if necessary.
This simple but ingenious technique, similar to the bruising and bleeding/healing processes we see after we cut ourselves, has been developed by aerospace engineers at Bristol University, with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). It has potential to be applied wherever fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are used. These lightweight, high-performance materials are proving increasingly popular not only in aircraft but also in car, wind turbine and even spacecraft manufacture. The new self-repair system could therefore have an impact in all these fields.
The technique's innovative aspect involves filling the hollow glass fibres contained in FRP composites with resin and hardener. If the fibres break, the resin and hardener ooze out, enabling the composite to recover up to 80-90% of its original strength - comfortably allowing a plane to function at its normal operational load.
"This approach can deal with small-scale damage that's not obvious to the naked eye but which might lead to serious failures in structural integrity if it escapes attention," says Dr Ian Bond, who has led the project. "It's intended to complement rather than replace conventional inspection and maintenance routines, which can readily pick up larger-scale damage, caused by a bird strike, for example."
By further improving the already excellent safety characteristics of FRP composites, the self-healing system could encourage even more rapid uptake of these materials in the aerospace sector. A key benefit would be that aircraft designs including more FRP composites would be significantly lighter than the primarily aluminium-based models currently in service. Even a small reduction in weight equates to substantial fuel savings over an aircraft's lifetime.
"This project represents just the first step", says Ian Bond. "We're also developing systems where the healing agent isn't contained in individual glass fibres but actually moves around as part of a fully integrated vascular network, just like the circulatory systems found in animals and plants. Such a system could have its healing agent refilled or replaced and could repeatedly heal a structure throughout its lifetime. Furthermore, it offers potential for developing other biological-type functions in man-made structures, such as controlling temperature or distributing energy sources."
The new self-repair technique developed by the current EPSRC-funded project could be available for commercial use within around four years.
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
This simple but ingenious technique, similar to the bruising and bleeding/healing processes we see after we cut ourselves, has been developed by aerospace engineers at Bristol University, with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). It has potential to be applied wherever fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are used. These lightweight, high-performance materials are proving increasingly popular not only in aircraft but also in car, wind turbine and even spacecraft manufacture. The new self-repair system could therefore have an impact in all these fields.
The technique's innovative aspect involves filling the hollow glass fibres contained in FRP composites with resin and hardener. If the fibres break, the resin and hardener ooze out, enabling the composite to recover up to 80-90% of its original strength - comfortably allowing a plane to function at its normal operational load.
"This approach can deal with small-scale damage that's not obvious to the naked eye but which might lead to serious failures in structural integrity if it escapes attention," says Dr Ian Bond, who has led the project. "It's intended to complement rather than replace conventional inspection and maintenance routines, which can readily pick up larger-scale damage, caused by a bird strike, for example."
By further improving the already excellent safety characteristics of FRP composites, the self-healing system could encourage even more rapid uptake of these materials in the aerospace sector. A key benefit would be that aircraft designs including more FRP composites would be significantly lighter than the primarily aluminium-based models currently in service. Even a small reduction in weight equates to substantial fuel savings over an aircraft's lifetime.
"This project represents just the first step", says Ian Bond. "We're also developing systems where the healing agent isn't contained in individual glass fibres but actually moves around as part of a fully integrated vascular network, just like the circulatory systems found in animals and plants. Such a system could have its healing agent refilled or replaced and could repeatedly heal a structure throughout its lifetime. Furthermore, it offers potential for developing other biological-type functions in man-made structures, such as controlling temperature or distributing energy sources."
The new self-repair technique developed by the current EPSRC-funded project could be available for commercial use within around four years.
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Aviation Safety News and Current Aviation Safety Events RSSNew technology may help Olympic sailing
A team of researchers at the Ocean University of China has developed and tested a mobile lidar (light detection and ranging) station that can accurately measure wind speed and direction over large areas in real time -- an application useful for aviation safety, weather forecasting and sports.
Smithsonian scientists help lead effort to 'barcode' world's species
Smithsonian researchers are among the leaders in a worldwide effort to revolutionize the way scientists identify species in the laboratory and in the field with a technique called DNA barcoding.
USGS examines environmental impacts of aircraft de-icers
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been examining the relative toxicity to aquatic life from a variety of formulations used to remove or prevent dangerous ice buildup on aircraft.
New NSF aircraft to probe hazardous atmospheric whirlwinds
Today, the nation's most-advanced research aircraft will take flight on its first science mission. Scientists aboard will study a severe type of atmospheric turbulence that forms near mountains and endangers planes flying in the vicinity.
Advanced Aircraft to Probe Hazardous Atmospheric Whirlwinds
The nation's newest and most advanced research aircraft will participate in its first major mission March 1 through April 30, when it will study a severe type of atmospheric turbulence that forms near mountains and endangers airplanes.
Success for the first trans-african flight with EGNOS
A pioneering flight from Dakar to Mombasa using the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the European satellite navigation system that corrects and improves GPS data, was a complete success. Africa was crossed at its widest part with a plane using this accurate and guaranteed positioning system provided by the EGNOS test bed signal, to navigate and make landings. This was an unprecedented mission carried out by the European Space Agency in collaboration with ASECNA (Agence pour la sécurité de la navigation aérienne en Afrique et ' Madagascar). ASECNA provided a test plane, an ATR 42. The Galileo Joint Undertaking financed the project.
Students Urged To Get On Board New British Airways Course
Kingston University is offering the next generation of engineers a passport to a career carrying out aircraft safety checks. Potential students now have the chance to apply to complete Kingston's Foundation Degree in Aircraft Engineering at British Airways' Heathrow Airport base.
New Expert is Flying High at Cranfield
The Safety and Accident Investigation Centre at Cranfield University is now fully operational thanks to the appointment of Dr Graham Braithwaite as Senior Lecturer and Director. Graham has joined Cranfield following a six-year period working down under in the Department of Aviation at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. Graham's new role will include overseeing the evolution of the Cranfield Aviation Safety Centre which was set up by Frank Taylor in 1976. Speaking about his appointment he said: "The need for investigation has only increased as aviation expands and as the focus has shifted towards safety management systems. "The proud tradition of engineering and investigation
More Aviation Safety News Articles
 | Air Traffic Control Career Prep: A Comprehensive Guide to One of the Best-Paying Federal Government Careers, Including Test Preparation for the Initial ATC Exams (Air Traffic Control Career Prep) by Patrick Mattson This valuable guide—essential for anyone interested in or already pursuing a lucrative career as an air traffic controller—thoroughly explains the air traffic control field and what training and qualification requirements are needed. Part career guide, this handbook provides a brief introduction to the aviation industry and discusses the role of the FAA while also explaining what an... |
 | Commercial Aviation Safety by Alexander T. Wells, Clarence C. Rodrigues *An overview of airline industry safety statistics, standards, and mandates *Covers FAA regulatory structure, development of technologies, management roles, air transport safety measurement methods - and more *Includes tables relating to commercial aviation accident statistics *New chapter on Aviation... |
 | Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents by James T. Reason |
 | Beyond the Black Box: The Forensics of Airplane Crashes by George Bibel "A good book that explains how and why airplanes can crash through descriptions of a wide variety of crashes and near-crashes followed by explanations of the science that governed those incidents. The stories of the accidents, and their explanations, read like mysteries; I found myself reading faster to get to the end of the story and find out why things happened the way they did. Bibel clearly... |
 | The Killing Zone: How & Why Pilots Die by Paul A. Craig This literal survival guide for new pilots identifies "the killing zone," the 40-250 flight hours during which unseasoned aviators are likely to commit lethal mistakes. Presents the statistics of how many pilots will die in the zone within a year; calls attention to the eight top pilot killers (such as "VFR into IFR," "Takeoff and Climb"); and maps strategies for avoiding, diverting, correcting,... |
| Aviation Safety Programs: A Management Handbook by Richard H. Wood | |
 | Aviation and Airport Security: Terrorism and Safety Concerns by Kathleen M. Sweet |
 | Aircraft Accident Analysis: Final Reports by James M. Walters, Robert Sumwalt Fascinating and factual accounts of the world’s most recent and compelling crashes Industry insiders James Walters and Robert Sumwalt, trained aviation accident investigators and commercial airline pilots, offer expert analyses of notable and recent aircraft accidents in this eye-opening, lesson-filled case file. Culled from final reports issued by military and foreign government... |
 | Aviation Disasters: The World's Major Civil Airliner Crashes Since 1950 by David Gero David Gero assembles a list of major air disasters since the 1950s across a wide spectrum of countries. He investigates every type of calamity, including those caused by appalling weather, mechanical failure, pilot error, inhospitable terrain and hostile action. The first incident of sabotage involving a commercial jetliner is covered, as is the first, much-feared crash of the jumbo jet era.... |
 | Aircraft Safety : Accident Investigations, Analyses, & Applications, Second Edition by Shari Stanford Krause * This worldwide bestseller utilizes case studies to examine and explain aircraft accidents and incidents * Covers five major problem causes: human factors, weather, mid-air collisions, mechanical failure, runway incursions * NEW TO THIS EDITION: Chapters on Monitoring/Managing Cockpit Behavior and Spatial Disorientation; 27 new case studies; 25% new illustrations * Updated data and... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |