Airbus new ‘laminar-flow’ wings could cut cost of flying

Airbus has revealed new wing technology that could tackle two of the biggest issues facing airlines – carbon emissions and fuel costs.

The wings were unveiled at a specially built hangar in Tarbes, France, after almost 10 years of development. Currently tacked on to a modified A340-300’s wings ahead of flight testing, Airbus said parts based on the two-third scale prototype wings could eventually be used on a short-range, single-aisle plane.

The parts were created as part of the EU-funded  Breakthrough Laminar Aircraft Demonstrator in Europe (Blade) project. Laminar-flow wings, such as the newly unveiled prototypes, have thinner leading edges than conventional aerofoils.

The design could reduce wing friction by half and overall aircraft drag by 8% over a short range, Airbus said, saving up to 5% on fuel costs over a flight of almost 1,500km.

“The first thing of course is the environment and then our customers,” said Axel Flaig, head of research and technology at Airbus. “If you can really make this work and reduce the drag of the aircraft, it will be a big step.”

The company and 21 partners created two separate wing concepts: on the starboard side a GKN Aerospace concept with a metallic leading edge, and on the  port side a Saab concept using carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic.

Engineers have so far tested the wings in wind tunnels and simulators but not in the air. Blade project bosses hope for a first set of flight tests in September, followed by more in 2018.

“At the moment we are considering 150 flight hours,” said Flaig. “It will generate tonnes of data. It will be useful but it will be a lot of work to analyse it all and then to draw the conclusion.”

Every aspect of the wings will be monitored in minute detail during the flights. As well as taking traditional in-flight measurements – temperature, acceleration, pressure – instruments in the wings will capture huge amounts of other useful information.

An internal mechanical sensor known as the ’waviness beam’ will precisely measure any deformations, and infra-red cameras will monitor the airflow over the wings. Optical measurements will check for deformations using reflectometry, a process of bouncing waves off the surfaces of the wings and checking for changes in the reflection.

The 2,700 on-board sensors will generate about 4TB of data per flight, and video footage will be used for 3D models, allowing engineers to analyse the laminar flow.

(Lead image credit: Joseph Flaig)