18 Features The RGS Gazette Issue 12 July 2024 Aeroplanes are one of the fastest modes of travel. However, they could be faster. Faster aeroplanes could reduce travel times and therefore reduce the price of a plane ticket. To reduce travel time, airliners could increase the lift that acts upon them. This would result in planes reaching cruising altitude faster. Furthermore, it would result in shortening the runway length required and time spent in airport airspace, saving space and time both valuable resources in the aviation industry. Reducing drag allows for greater distance per gallon of fuel. A decrease in weight causes less fuel to be required to accelerate the aircraft. Lift and Thrust There is one major way to increase the amount of thrust you get from an aircraft engine: minimising the size of the engine core. Air is compressed more as the core gets smaller, causing a greater pressure gradient across the engine. This causes greater thrust, as more air is forced horizontally, and less air is forced with a vertical component due to a more concentrated air release. By shrinking the core, it increases what is known as the bypass ratio of the engine, which is the ratio of air passing through the engine that is compressed to the air that is not compressed. Through this, the fuel burn rate is only slightly changed by adding the larger inlet fan. Therefore, the engine generatesmore thrust for roughly the same fuel burn, making it more efficient. A hybrid engine could also be used to increase flight time and efficiency. Using another alternate source of thrust such as a battery or hydrogen cell can reduce carbon emissions and increase the maximum flight distance without refuelling, saving time. The lift can be increased through wing design, with mechanisms such as a flap edge that extends in length, horizontal splits to induce more lift, or a channel through the wing that allows the slow release of airflow through the wing from bottom to top to reduce drag. Other highlift devices could also be used. Fuel such as lean fuel, which has higher oxygen content to allow for more complete combustion, can increase fuel efficiency by increasing flight time and reducing fuel requirements. Winglets on the tips of wings can help reduce turbulent air around the wings by redirecting the turbulent air away from the body, reducing drag. More powerful engines may require a weight reduction to counteract the heavier engine and the shift of the engine or wing position along the body to stop the aircraft tilting or even an entire restructuring of the craft itself. A high lift causes a greater stall speed, so an adjustable lift is required to prevent stalling. Drag and Friction Drag can be reduced by either using wing flaps as mentioned previously, by causing a tighter airflow against the wings and body of the plane, or by reducing the size of the plane. Air resistance and friction can be reduced by increasing the aeroplane’s streamline form or by using a smoother outer surface with a low friction coefficient such as Teflon (which has a static friction coefficient of 0.04). Weight The weight of the aeroplane could be reduced through altering the main alloy used in aircraft bodies, such as aluminium alloy 7075 or 2024, via the increase in the content of magnesium in the alloys. This is because magnesium is one of the lightest metals with a high strengthtoweight ratio, decreasing weight but simultaneously decreasing strength and corrosion resistance. However, this can be counteracted by adding titanium into the alloy, increasing costs but in turn greatly increasing the strength of the alloy. Another way to reduce weight would be to limit the luggage passengers can bring. Safety is also important in commercial flights, and although the likeliness of crashing is slim, it is still possible. There are many ways to improve the safety of aeroplanes in case of a malfunction or problem in the cabin. How Can Commercial Airliners Be Improved? Karam Shah (Year 12) discusses the possibilities available to commercial aeroplanes Winglets visible on an Airbus A380 (2017) An aeroplane engine containing Teflon (2024)
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