The increased wing is one reason that the A350-900 can fly from New York to Singapore-the longest flight in the world-with only two engines. Another core factor is that over the last 30 years, aircraft engines have become much more efficient, although the fundamental turbine technology remains the same.
Improvements include advances in the manufacture of lighter motor blades made of carbon fiber compound, which are twice the strength and significantly lighter than titanic blades; improved cooling systems; and sophisticated control programs that control core data during flight such as air pressure, temperature, aerial and more. The optimal location of engines on the wing was also refined.
“If you look at the 747, with four engines now you can deliver the same amount of push to two engines that burn 20 percent up to 30 percent less fuel than those engines that were produced 20 to 30 years ago,” says Cary Grant, assistant professor of aeronautical science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizonarizar.
The difference lies in how the engines use airflow. Turbojet motors used in older aircraft force all incoming air through the motor core and burning rooms, generating a push by throwing out gases out of the back at high speeds. This process used more energy and was much louder than newer engines.
Modern long aircraft aircraft use what is called high-pass engines that use a system that allows a large volume of air to flow around the core of the engine. The push, therefore, is generated mainly by the big fan at the front of the engine – the part can be seen by looking directly into it – unlike the trigger firing the back. This design greatly improved the efficiency of the engine while the ratio of bypass air increased.
The new engines produce extraordinary power. The overall electric high-step engine, Genx, which operates the Dreamliner, is almost as wide as Boeing 737 Fuselage. According to GE’s website, the engine has a 10: 1 passage ratio, which means that 10 times more air surrounds the exterior of the engine instead of the engine core for combustion.
Computer auxiliary design also made the blades more efficient and stronger, allowing them to spin at 30,000 to 40,000 rpm. “You must be able to have structures that can withstand this type of rotary and torso stress,” Grant says. Ceramic materials used in the motor core allow higher internal operating temperatures than nickel-based super-alloy metals, which are currently used in most engines.
The use of light compound materials, namely carbon fiber, in the wings and fuselage of the aircraft significantly reduced the overall weight of the aircraft. The less aircraft weighs, the less energy is needed to operate it.
The general projects of these aircraft are also more aerodynamic. The wings both of the A350 and the Dreamliner variants are thinner than in previous generations, and the fuselage drawings, especially Dreamliner’s dolphin-like nose, generally create less drag.
In the cabin, new technologies simplify pilot controls and solution of problems through high -level retrospective systems that help reduce pilot workload and increase performance. Today’s long aircraft allow a semi-autonomous flight in fact, the technology already exists for fully autonomous flights, even for large commercial aircraft.
Even the passenger experience has improved, although the pace of this technology may not have supported that of the aircraft itself. The biggest difference between today’s commercial aircraft and previous generations is the ability to control cabin pressure, humidity and air circulation. “[When] Boeing produced the 787, they could hold the atmosphere moisturized, “says Grant.” Only that alone is a huge improvement for people- you know, after a nine- or 10-hour flight, it felt that you had corkscarnings in your nose. ”
The other major improvement on long -term flights, according to Grant? Today WiFi airline actually good.
