Membrane like shark skin helps airplanes save fuel

Lufthansa and BASF have developed the AeroShark abrasive film that reduces fuel consumption and emissions for all aircraft.

Millions of years of evolution have left the most fearsome predator in the ocean without smooth skin. Instead, sharks have slightly rough skin that helps reduce drag. Based on this characteristic of sharks, the researchers developed AeroShark for application on the surface of large aircraft.

AeroShark Membrane.

The millions of lenticular spikes on the surface of the AeroShark membrane are no higher than 50 micrometers but enough to make a difference in fuel consumption. The Swiss airline calculated that, if 950 m2 of membrane is used for Boeing 777 aircraft according to a special model, aligned with the air flow around the fuselage and the surface of the engine shell, the reduced drag will lead to the consumption level. fuel consumption decreased by 1.1%.

As a result, Swiss airline AeroShark laminates all 12 of its Boeing 777 aircraft, saving 4,800 tons of jet fuel a year, while also reducing CO2 emissions by 15,200 tons. Earlier, Lufthansa announced that it would deploy the membrane on its cargo fleet and 10 Boeing 777 aircraft, reducing fuel consumption by 3,700 tons and reducing CO2 emissions by 11,700 tons per year.

The AeroShark development team says the membrane will be slightly more effective in cargo planes that don't have rows of windows. According to them, the film is easy to use, extremely resistant to ultraviolet radiation, water, oil, high temperatures and pressure changes for long-haul aircraft surfaces. AeroShark has been tested for more than 1,500 flight hours on a Boeing 747-400. Using film on the surface of the wing also helps to create more lift.

Lufthansa Technic and BASF are working to further develop the technology and applications on a variety of other aircraft. According to the team, the membrane mimicking shark skin can reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to 3%.