Photo: NASA/Ken Ulbrich
Down on the roads, we’re trying to make our cars as green as ever using hybrid or electric powertrains, sleek aerodynamics and ecological manufacturing processes. But let’s not forget about all those planes burning tons of kerosene up in the air each minute. There are plans for small green aircraft, but when it comes to passenger airliners NASA is looking to come with a solution to improve efficiency.
The Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE) is how NASA and the US Air Force Research Laboratory named their joint project that will hopefully spawn a variable geometry airfoil system called FlexFoil which is said to make flying better.
The system can be retrofitted to existing airplane wings or integrated into new airframes and it should help a lot with reducing the noise and fuel consumption.
“We have progressed from an innovative idea and matured the concept through multiple designs and wind tunnel tests, to a final demonstration that should prove to the aerospace industry that this technology is ready to dramatically improve aircraft efficiency,” said AFRL Program Manager Pete Flick, from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
During the first test flight, the control surfaces were locked at a specific setting and different flap settings were employed on subsequent flights to collect enough data. Everything was said to went as planned with the researchers saying that the new technology really promises lighter, more efficient and quieter future aircraft, saving hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
The system can be retrofitted to existing airplane wings or integrated into new airframes and it should help a lot with reducing the noise and fuel consumption.
Positive results
ACTE is being flown at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, to determine whether flexible trailing-edge wing flaps are a viable solution to improve aerodynamic efficiency.“We have progressed from an innovative idea and matured the concept through multiple designs and wind tunnel tests, to a final demonstration that should prove to the aerospace industry that this technology is ready to dramatically improve aircraft efficiency,” said AFRL Program Manager Pete Flick, from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
During the first test flight, the control surfaces were locked at a specific setting and different flap settings were employed on subsequent flights to collect enough data. Everything was said to went as planned with the researchers saying that the new technology really promises lighter, more efficient and quieter future aircraft, saving hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
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