last updated 14th September 05
by 4ecotips.com

Complete new engine design sought by academics

As air travel is likely to double over the next two decades aircraft noise has become an important issue.

As a result "The 'Silent' Aircraft Initiative" a Cambridge University-MIT Institute programme has emerged to develop concept designs and procedures for ultra-low noise commercial aircraft. The project is said to be a true team effort, not only involving researchers from Cambridge and MIT, but also numerous partners from private industry, government agencies and community groups on both sides of the Atlantic.

Dr Tom Reynolds, of Cambridge University Department of Engineering, says: "The initiative is bringing together leading academics with an extended 'Knowledge Integration Community' of representatives from all parts of the civil aerospace/ aviation industry. Partners already include BAA, British Airways, the Civil Aviation Authority, Lochard, Marshall Aerospace, National Air Traffic Services, the Royal Aeronautical Society, and Rolls-Royce.

The Initiative is focused around a core of research projects in five strands: airframe, engines, integration, operations and UK economy. The work carried out at both institutions has included measuring and recording the noise levels produced by different parts of conventional aircraft, and comparing with models of potential aircraft designs, including the blended wing-body aircraft pictured here.

The engines are the largest sources of noise from aircraft and therefore to meet the Silent Aircraft noise target a very new and novel engine design is required. A team of researchers from Cambridge University are working with engineers at Rolls-Royce in Derby to produce a completely new engine design.

This needs to balance the reduced jet speed required for noise reduction against the level of thrust required for take-off. The team has found that the total exhaust area must be about three times as large as that of today's conventional jet engines in order to achieve this balance.

Unfortunately, no mention is made of the engines being cleaner and more eco-friendly! Perhaps we should take this for granted - or not, as the case may be!