Aerospace engineers at Saab in Sweden have taken a leap forward with plans to produce a highly aerodynamic ‘smart wing’ by creating a single piece carbon fibre, leading edge and upper wing cover section with no joints or rivets, achieving a very smooth surface finish.

The carbon fibre section is cured as single piece. Attachment points that fix the panel to the wing box itself are all made of composite materials and integrated into the underside of the wing shell. The smooth outer surface and wing leading edge, reduce drag by up to 25%, by facilitating passive and active laminar airflow over the the wing, and therefore reduced fuel consumption. It also decreases weight and cost. The smart wing will be used on an A340 Airbus plane for testing. If successful this technology will be applied to other parts of an aircraft to increase aircraft efficiency. In theory a total 20% reduction in fuel burn should be achievable.

Good news for the aircraft industry that will hopefully filter down to end customers with reduced airfares. Well we live in hope !

Hope you have a great month

All the best, Mike

Quotations:

“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up”.
– John Holmes
“I don’t like to commit myself about heaven and hell-you see, I have friends in both places”.
– Mark Twain

ps  If you have enjoyed the blog please forward to those who might be interested, many thanks in advance, Mike