Airplane Heal Thyself? Self-Repairing Aircraft Could Improve Air Safety
- added May 20, 2008
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Airplanes get old, and over time their skins can develop tiny holes and cracks. Mechanics are good at spotting these problems during regular maintenance checks, but a technique developed in Britain that mimics natural healing could allow airplanes to repair themselves.
Researchers at the Engineering and Sciences Research Council are developing composite materials that "bleed" resin when stressed or damaged, effectively creating a "scab" that fixes the damage. It's an innovation that could drastically improve air safety, foster the development of lighter aircraft and bring biomimicry to aviation.
"This project represents just the first step", says Dr. Ian Bond, the aerospace professor leading the research. "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."
Think about the body's healing process and the technology behind self-healing plastics is easy to grasp.
When we cut ourselves, sticky cells called platelets clump together near the wound to create a plug that stops the bleeding and begins the healing. The principle behind the self-healing plastic Bond has developed at University of Bristol technique is remarkably similar.
Researchers at the Engineering and Sciences Research Council are developing composite materials that "bleed" resin when stressed or damaged, effectively creating a "scab" that fixes the damage. It's an innovation that could drastically improve air safety, foster the development of lighter aircraft and bring biomimicry to aviation.
"This project represents just the first step", says Dr. Ian Bond, the aerospace professor leading the research. "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."
Think about the body's healing process and the technology behind self-healing plastics is easy to grasp.
When we cut ourselves, sticky cells called platelets clump together near the wound to create a plug that stops the bleeding and begins the healing. The principle behind the self-healing plastic Bond has developed at University of Bristol technique is remarkably similar.
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