America
Shape-changing wings are future of aviation: NASA
Washington, April 29
After six months and 22
research flights, NASA has announced the successful completion of
initial flight tests of a new morphing wing technology.
The
shape-changing wings are not only designed to significantly reduce an
aircraft's weight as well as the noise it generates during flight, these
flaps could save the industry millions of dollars annually in fuel
savings.
In tests, the wing's curve remained set anywhere from -2 to 30 degrees but it can be adjusted as needed even in midflight.
Eventually,
flexible wings can make for lighter, more fuel-efficient planes as well
as quieter takeoffs and landings, the US space agency said in a
statement.
The test team at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research
Centre in Edwards, California, flew research flights with the Adaptive
Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE) flight control surfaces that offer
significant improvements over conventional flaps used on existing
aircraft.
"The completion of this flight test campaign is a big
step for NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) project,"
said ERA project manager Fay Collier.
"This is the first of eight
large-scale integrated technology demonstrations ERA is finishing up
this year that are designed to reduce the impact of aviation on the
environment," he added.
The technology can be retrofitted to existing airplane wings or integrated into entirely new airframes.
It
enables engineers to reduce wing structural weight and to
aerodynamically tailor the wings to promote improved fuel economy and
more efficient operations.
Although the flexible flaps were
designed to morph throughout the entire range of motion, each test was
conducted at a single fixed setting in order to collect incremental data
with a minimum of risk.
"We are thrilled to have accomplished
all of our flight test goals without encountering any significant
technical issues," said programme manager Pete Flick from the Air Force
Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
The
results of these flight tests will be included in design trade studies
performed at NASA's Langley Research Centre in Hampton, Virginia, for
designing future large transport aircraft.