Designing the Fuel-Efficient Aircraft of the Future

Researchers are using the Stampede supercomputer to design novel and fuel efficient wing designs for jets. The motto is to develop tools that can help the industry build a more efficient aircraft. The researchers are exploring wings with longer spans, made of complex composites that morph during the flight. 

Modern day aircrafts use roughly 80 percent less fuel per passenger mile than the jets of the 1950s.

Adding to the accomplishment, Joaquim Martins - an aerospace engineer at the University of Michigan has led the Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Laboratory to develop tools that let engineers design a more efficient aircraft.

"Transportation is the backbone of our economy. Any difference you can make in fuel burn, even a fraction of a percent, makes a big difference in the world," Martins says. "Our goals are two-fold: to make air transportation economically feasible and to reduce the impact on the environment at the same time.”

Content: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170307100430.htm  

Image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VagPP8Y4jU