smart birds v.0

Aerospace & Defense

Smart Birds –The Flight! ©

Since the world’s first ever successful designed controlled power airplane invention by Orville & Wilbur Wright who flew their flyer plane in December 1903 and post the aftermath of World War II, there has been much sought emphasis on improvement of aircraft efficiencies by developing robust designs that would save time, cost, dependencies on weather and manual intervention. There has been an imperative need for incremental developments in the air-bodies and their phenomenally powered engines that improve Maximum Endurance, Maximum Range, Optimum Cruising Speed (Carson’s Speed) based on the primary principles of Lift, Weight, Thrust and Drag. There would be phenomenal inventions that would change the face of air-travel.

Tweaked Components drive Aircraft Efficiency

Innovations in aircraft designs are very few; many of these improvements are under the skin of the trending aircraft, such as new avionics, improved systems and the bird’s engines that make flying possible.

While there have been major breakthroughs in electric motor design, it’s unlikely that electric-powered aircraft will be carrying significant loads–more than a handful of passengers–anytime soon. Battery technology is fast emerging but will never match the energy density of fossil (carbon) based fuels.

There is an expected rise in widespread adoption of lithium-ion for main-ship battery applications. They are far more reliable, last longer, deliver more power for low-temperature starts and operate much longer in a battery-only electrical emergency.

Turbine engine designers have steadily improved efficiency. Unfortunately, turbine engine performance comes at a high cost and although there are some promising small engines in the works, there is little opportunity to dramatically lower the cost of turbine engines and make resurrection of general aviation powered by turbines replacing pistons.

Nitin M.Kadam © Email:[email protected]

Aerospace & Defense

Ceramic matrix composites are headed towards production engine programs. Engine manufacturers are investing millions of dollars into 3-D printing of complex components, which should ultimately lower costs and accelerate prototype development. With the advent of 4D printing and programmable materials the cost of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services is set to slide drastically with its ready acceptance in Aviation industry though not used on a large scale as its predecessor is still forming grounds.

Assisted Take-off: Aircraft launched through assisted takeoffs using renewably-powered, propelled acceleration will allow for steeper climb from airports to minimize noise and reach efficient cruise altitudes more quickly. Aircraft could be maneuvered onto a track system and accelerated using either electro-magnetic motors built into the track or an inductive circuit within the aircraft itself. Thus, removing or disabling the need for landing gear.


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Passenger Safety:

Invented by Tatrenko Vladimir Nikolaevich, a Russian inventor has designed an audacious new safety mechanism for airplanes; a detachable passenger and cargo cabin

that springs away from the aircraft in case of emergency. Once unhooked, the cabin deploys parachutes that safely touch down the cabin on land or water. There will also be a provision for pilots in the cockpit who can eject themselves after the passenger or storage capsule has been detached.

FLY-BY-WIRE TECHNOLOGY

Fly-by-wire (FBW) is a system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. Instead of the mechanical systems that used to transmit control impulses around a plane, fly-by-wire (FBW) systems convert movements of the controls into electrical impulses. These signals are sent to flight-control computers that reconvert the electrical impulses into instructions for control surfaces like wing flaps or the tail. Potentiometers in the control surfaces measure their position and transmit that data back to the flight computer. An FBW system also makes the aircraft stable and substantially safer to fly, as the flight computers can be programmed to carry out adjustments to control surfaces automatically. This is largely as a result of gyroscopes fitted in the aircraft which are connected to the on-board computers. The gyroscopes measure fluctuations in pitch roll and yaw. If the bird strays from its pre-programmed settings, they move too, triggering the computer to compensate. (Embraer’s Legacy 450/500, Gulfstream’s G500/G600 and Bombardier’s Global 7000/8000).

Bionic Structures: Future aircraft could be built using a bionic structure that mimics the bone structure of birds. Bone is both


Aerospace & Defense

light and strong because its porous interior carries tension only where necessary, leaving space elsewhere. By using bionic structures, the fuselage has the strength it needs but can also make the most of extra space where required. This not only reduces the aircraft's weight and fuel burn but also makes it possible to add features like oversized doors for easier boarding and panoramic windows.

Biopolymer Membrane: The cabin's bionic structure will be coated with a biopolymer membrane which controls the amount of natural light, humidity and temperature providing opacity or transparency on command and eliminating the need for windows. This smarter structure will make the aircraft lighter and more

fuel-efficient while giving passengers 360 degree views of the skies. This will offer unparalleled, unobstructed views of the wonders of the five continents - where you will be able see the Taj Mahal or the Roman Colosseum through the transparent walls of the aircraft.

Integrated Neural Network: The cabin electrical system can be compared to the human brain with a network of intelligence pulsating through the cabin. This network will be absorbed into the structural materials, making the hundreds of kilometers of cables and wires found in today's aircraft obsolete. Known as 'Smart' materials they can perform numerous functions, recognizing the passenger so that you too are 'connected' to the plane.

Composite Materials: 'Composite' materials will be used - new matter made of a combination of different materials. In the future materials may not even take a solid state but could be

a composition of fluid and gas for example.

Morphing Materials: Materials that change shape and return to their initial form, growing like the leaves of a plant are a very real possibility. Morphing materials might be metals or polymers that have a 'memory'; or are covered with a 'skin' that will instigate a shape change. A memory is created using sensor and activator systems that give materials a certain level of artificial intelligence, allowing

them to adapt to the passengers' needs


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Self-Reliant Materials: Materials will be self-cleaning. Think of the leaves of a flower plant which rolls off water in beads, taking contaminants with it. Today, coatings inspired by this are used on the surfaces of cabin bathrooms. In the future they will be found on the fabric of seats and the carpets.These intelligent materials could also be self-repairing which are already used today in surface protection. Certain paints can seal a scratch by themselves, just as the human skin does.

Ecological Materials: The future passenger cabin will be fully ecological. Fully recyclable plant fibers that can be grown to a custom shape will be sourced from responsible and sustainable practices.

Holographic Technology: Scenes showing the destination, a city skyline or a tropical forest will be projected onto the walls. A private cabin can reflect your bedroom at home, a business conference or any of your favorite places specified. All thanks to the projection of virtual decors. Holographic technology will have advanced to such a degree that the virtual world will be indistinguishable from the real.

Energy Harvesting: Using the 1st law of thermodynamics (states that “Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be transferred or changed from one

form to another) Smart energy solutions such as energy harvesting will be a part of the entire aircraft body with much emphasis on the cabins. The body heat you give out will be collected by your seat or pod as you relax or sleep and combined with energy collected from other sources, like solar panels, to fuel cabin appliances.

Concept Dual- Craft : The new engines that are being worked upon by British


Aerospace & Defense

Aerospace company –Reaction Engines which is a jet engine also doubles up as a rocket engine will reduce time to travel anywhere in the world by half. Their reusable space-plane SKYLON would take off from a runway, just like a commercial aircraft before turning into a rocket to fly into orbit.

Craft-to-Craft Communication: Mid- air-collisions have been a problem for even the leading aircraft OEM’s as the dependency still lies with the manual intervention of the pilot flying the bird when in air, thereby risking passenger lives. To counter

this many defense companies have been thinking to implement the concept of ‘Connected Crafts’ just like the ‘Connected cars’ so as to how the birds what talk to each other and plot each other’s positions to avoid intersecting their flight paths and a possible catastrophe. The way a message gets through from the cockpit

to the rudder, landing gear or the engine controls. Similarly, aircrafts will be able to transmit messages and control the air body all by itself without manual intervention to avoid disasters.


smart birds v.0

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