Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Silent aircraft initiative

Well folks, do you remember anything that happened in 2003, well i don't as a matter of fact but then one news i do remember which about designing a silent aeroplane. And today that silent airplane concept was revealed to the world. Back in 2003, Cambridge university and MIT university took the initiative to reduce aeroplane noise and they have finally came up with a concept aeroplane that not only reduce noise significantly but also reduced fuel consumption. So the silent aircraft initiative have bearded fruit. To know more about it just google the silent aircraft initiative. Well as aeronautical engineer and students its apt to tell you that the findings are very common. Please do search and read more about it, as i feel that a quieter aeroplane is the need of the hour. You don't how much it disturbs me when an aircraft takes off when i'm talking to my girlfriend! :) so perhaps in next twenty years the next generation won't have to deal with this problem that i face now.

why not make all of our existing models composite airframes?

Welll folks i am fond of reading Randy and here in this piece he
explains my long standing query that why not make all our existing
models composite airframes if it save so much fuel and add to
efficeincy.... so here is answer from someone from boeing.....

C.W. from California recently asked about composite "skins" on
commercial airplanes, as in, why not make all of our existing models
composite airframes?

Given that a 747 or 777 is built around an aluminum frame, how
difficult would it be and how much weight would be saved by
"re-skinning" with the same material that is being used for the 787?
It would seem to be relatively easier to make pre-molded sheets vs. an
entire fuselage .. would this be at all practical?

Well, the answer is, it's not really practical. To get the full
advantage of composites we really have to create the airplane design
from the beginning with the composite "material set" in mind. The cost
of re-doing an aluminum fuselage design that is already complete,
using another material set makes it pretty much prohibitive. I should
add, though, that we are already making significant use of composite
materials in some of our airplanes. 9% of the 777's structural weight,
for example, is composite - primarily floor grids and the empennage
section.

Anyway if you like more insights on what else Randy ha to say
please visit http://www.boeing.com/randy/

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