- Статьи
- Science and technology
- "Engineers are laying the principles of biosimilarity in the design of future aircraft"
"Engineers are laying the principles of biosimilarity in the design of future aircraft"
Russia has designed planes for 220-250 passengers in the "flying wing" layout, which will carry 45% more payload than modern analogues. This was stated in an interview with Izvestia by the scientific director of TsAGI, Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician Sergey Chernyshev. He also reported on other advanced developments in aircraft construction, such as biosimilar mesh aircraft structures, the use of the flow supercirculation effect, a helicopter—type drone with variable nozzle geometry, and other innovations.
"Most of the research is focused on creating new technologies, not airplanes"
— Sergey Leonidovich, what projects are your institute's specialists currently focused on?
— TsAGI is the leading scientific center of the aviation industry in Russia. Our main responsibility is to create the scientific and technical foundation necessary for the successful development of aviation. Another important area is conducting tests that will ensure that the specified technical characteristics of the aircraft are achieved.
The development of new aircraft helps strengthen the country's sovereignty. The main focus is on flight safety and efficiency issues.
— Tell us, what new developments are being created at the institute?
— Most of the research is focused on the creation of new technologies, not aircraft. This is largely a routine upgrade. However, in 10-30 years, these technologies will make it possible to obtain fundamentally new types of aircraft.
For example, the traditional shapes of aircraft such as a "tube with a wing" and hanging engines on it are becoming a thing of the past. Now such schemes are close to the limit of their aerodynamic performance.
New developments are related to integrated circuits, in which it is difficult to tell where the fuselage ends and the wing begins. In engineering slang, such schemes are called "flying wings". According to calculations, such flying wing layouts can dramatically improve the aerodynamic qualities of aircraft by 25-30% compared to the best current models of aviation technology.
We are currently implementing concepts for such aircraft in the form of digital twins and scaled-down ready-made models, with which we conduct numerical experiments and field tests in wind tunnels.
"The mesh structure was incorporated into the design of the wing and fuselage of a new passenger supersonic aircraft"
— Can you give examples of new aircraft designs?
— Yes, for example, TsAGI has completed comprehensive studies of the layout options for a new aircraft for long-haul passenger transportation (that is, 220-250 passengers for a range of up to 10,000 km). An arrangement with an oval fuselage in cross-section, a mid-mounted wing and an integral influx between them was determined as the optimal design.
Such an influx is involved in creating lift and is more advantageous from the point of view of aerodynamics. It also provides a large building height in the root part of the wing, which allows for an increase in its elongation. At the same time, additional volumes inside the influx make it possible to place the landing gear and many functional aircraft systems in it.
At the same time, the flattened fuselage structure has reduced drag. This creates an internal volume for comfortable accommodation of passengers on the upper deck and cargo on the lower deck. This arrangement allows you to carry 45% more payload than two compartments in the classic version.
— What other "routine" projects are being created at TsAGI?
— There is a lot of talk about biosimilar technologies today. The same thing happens in the aircraft industry. Engineers are laying the principles of bio-similarity in the design of future aircraft. One of these solutions is the introduction of bionic mesh structures instead of the traditional power frame (longitudinal stringers and transverse frames). They have a structure that resembles the structure of living tissues — plants or animals.
This approach allows you to compact the grid in places where there are more loads, and make it less frequent where they are insignificant. This reduces the weight of the aircraft, which largely determines its effectiveness.
The mesh structure was incorporated into the design of the wing and fuselage of a new passenger supersonic aircraft. Good results were obtained during modeling and testing. The project will be continued and will probably allow us to reach a new level in aviation materials science. By the way, the Russian design school is the world leader in this component.
"We will see long-range aircraft that will use electricity as a power source"
— What opportunities does the integrated layout of aircraft offer in the engine industry?
— Such approaches give scope for engineering creativity. In particular, they allow us to implement new ideas on the location of engines, tail configuration, placement of the passenger cabin, cargo compartment.
For example, TsAGI considered a variant of an aircraft, the design of which uses the effect of supercirculation. In this case, the power plants are not located in the lower part of the wing, but in the upper part, where the airflow is further accelerated. In this case, additional lifting force arises due to an artificial increase in the circulation of the bearing surface.
At the same time, as part of the "flying wing" concept, the institute's engineers are working on options for a new type of distributed power plant with multiple engines located under, above, and in the front and rear of the wing. Such arrangements ensure greater flight safety, as a group of power units compensates for the failure of one or more of them.
Integrated layouts also contribute to the development of efficient hybrid circuits that combine the capabilities of thermal and electric motors. Probably, in the middle of the century we will see long-range airplanes that will use electricity as the main power source.
— What kind of vehicles are being created at TsAGI for flights inside urban agglomerations?
— Among other things, the institute is developing a small unmanned helicopter with an electric motor. Its main feature is a new management system. Conventional helicopters use complex mechanisms (like a skewing machine), especially in coaxial circuits, where the device is even more complex. In the new project, control is provided by two tail beams with adjustable nozzles. By changing the direction and strength of the air jets, the system creates the necessary conditions for the helicopter to fly and maneuver stably. This solution is simpler and more efficient than traditional systems.
In addition, the institute's engineers have designed an aircraft with a fixed-wing rotor in flight. This vessel can serve as an air taxi. It combines the properties of a helicopter and an airplane — it can take off vertically and hover in space, but at the same time develops high speed in horizontal flight.
After reaching a certain speed, the main rotor of the device is fixed, turning into an airplane-type wing, which creates lift during flight. In this form, the aircraft can accelerate up to 800 km/h and cover distances up to 1000 km. The project has already been worked out in detail, and the operability of the device has been confirmed using computer modeling and field experiments with models in an air tube. The prospects for the project are currently being discussed with industrialists. Reaching an agreement will allow us to start creating a technology demonstrator and subsequent stages.
"We have a chance to become the first in the development of a supersonic passenger mainline aircraft again"
— Sergey Leonidovich, you have just turned 70 years old. You have been working at TsAGI for more than 40 years. How did your research interests develop?
— As a child, I went to an airplane modeling club, I liked working with my hands. First I made gliders, then cord models, then radio-controlled ones. The country supported the passion for technical sports. This is a reasonable and correct system — the creation of working mechanisms stimulates the mind and personality development.
Later, he began to solve the problems of the correspondence physics and mathematics school at MIPT and decided to go to this university in the aviation field. That's how I connected my life with aviation. I've been working at TsAGI for five decades now. It is a truly world-class leading scientific center. I can name more than a dozen research areas of the institute in which Russian science is ahead of world achievements.
— What kind of aircraft would you like to create?
— We have a chance to become the first in the development of a supersonic passenger mainline aircraft again. In 1968, we were already the first to launch the Tu-144. Now it is possible to make a new, modern aircraft that will consume less fuel, pollute the air less and will not create a loud bang when overcoming the sound barrier.
There are necessary technologies, scientific and engineering knowledge for these purposes. It only takes a little courage and resources to implement the project. Our industry is completing the testing phase of modern Superjet 100 and MC-21 civil aircraft, which will soon begin carrying passengers. The flight speeds will be about 850 km/h. To reduce the flight time across the country, we need a supersonic airliner. With its help, the flight from Moscow to Vladivostok, for example, will take about four hours.
— At what stage is this project?
— Now, with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, a scaled-down flight technology demonstrator called "Strizh" is being developed. The main task of the demonstrator is to make sure that the key technologies both in the field of airframe creation and in the field of effective aerodynamics meet our expectations. The flight will also demonstrate the possibility of quietly overcoming the sound barrier and cruising at supersonic speed.
Work on the project is currently underway, and flight tests of the technology demonstrator are planned in the next three to four years.
— There are projects in the world based on new ways of transportation. What developments are being conducted in this area at TsAGI?
— Alternative developments are popular with young professionals. A technopark has been created at TsAGI for these purposes, an innovative platform for the development of high—tech projects. Startups are based there, and the flight of fancy knows no bounds! And this is a good opportunity for young designers to show themselves and create unusual projects that may find their place in the world of the future.
Among such developments, we can cite the example of devices based on the principle of a flapping wing. In them, the developers strive to recreate the kinematics and dynamics of the flight of birds and insects. Another example is a device that has received the comic name "flying saucepan" among engineers. This device has no bottom, and there is a propeller inside. It was created as a technology demonstrator of an unmanned aerial vehicle to assist in the maintenance of high-altitude technological equipment and other purposes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
