Development of aircraft less sound owing to owls

Scientists say the secret of flying almost silent in a bird's night can be used to develop less noise-producing aircraft.

Researchers at the University of Lehigh have discovered that many feathered owl species are able to effectively eliminate the aerodynamic noise emitted by the wings as they fly in the air. This ability helps the owl have a great advantage while hunting.

Dr. Justin Jaworski and his colleagues suggest that the secret of flying in the silence of owls would one day be used to design aircraft, wind turbines and submarines that emit less noise while operating.

'Owl species with no less than three different physical properties are thought to have the ability to fly silent. The hard feathers along the edge of the wings, the soft feathers of the wing, and the fluff at the top of the wing, ' said Dr. Jaworski.

With conventional airplanes, the sound coming from the wing section causes large noise for the aircraft. However, Dr. Jaworski's team found that the winged wing of the owl had a softer texture that reduced aerodynamic noise.

Early experiments have shown that a simple network layer simulates the wing's feather structure, which effectively reduces the sound coming from hard surfaces.

"If the noise reduction mechanism of the bird's feathering is established, there will be many suggestions for designing sound absorption aircraft, reducing vibration for the aircraft, wind turbine coils and noise reduction for submarines. navy , "said Dr. Jaworski.