From sharks to aircraft

Press, 28 January 1984, Page 25

From sharks to aircraft

NZPA Hampton, Virginia Scientists who studied the skin of fast-swimming sharks say that adding tiny scratches to the surfaces of aircraft could save commercial airlines millions of dollars in fuel costs. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Langley Research Centre announced that barely visible, V-shaped grooves on the surface of jetlines can favourably alter turbulence patterns and cut fuel use up to 10 per cent. The grooves can be etched into the metal or else grooved tape can be pasted over the metal to give planes a rough surface similar to shark skin. The Vs, no deeper than two-thousandths of an inch, were so small as to be barely visible, according to N.A.S.A. officials. They said the grooves were similar to projections called dermal dentricles on shark skin. Scientists say that while they had been working on a similar concept for some time, the idea of using sharks as models came from the Soviet Union, which has sought to uncover secrets of the animal world to use to increase the efficiency of aircraft, ships, and submarines. Experiments at Langley had shown that small grooves with equal height and spacing could reduce skin friction — caused by bursts of turbulent air surrounding a moving aircraft — up to 10 per cent, compared with smooth surfaces, N.A.S.A. said. The scientists said airliners could begin using the technique within two years and that the initial efforts would concentrate on

United States aircraft. The reduction carried a potential $3OO million annual saving for commer-

cial airliners, said Jerry Jefner, a researcher for United States commercial airlines.

He said the long-range goal was to double that with further improvements in drag reduction.