Media: in the UK, engineers were able to create self-healing airplane wings – BFM.Ru

Total self-healing technology a step closer

Even the researchers involved in the project, called it “fantastic”, writes today, the British newspaper The Independent on Sunday. A team of scientists from the University of Bristol, has created wings for aircraft that can do to correct the damage.

The results of their three-year study, to be presented at next week’s meeting of the Royal Society of London research. As stated in an exclusive interview with project leader Professor Duncan Wass, consumers will be able to have “in the near future,” new materials for self-healing.

His team specializes in the modification of carbon fiber composite materials – durable but light materials, which are widely used in the production: from aircraft wings to sports rackets and bicycles.

Professor Wass and his team worked with aviation engineers, trying to find a way to prevent microcracks, which are formed in the wings and fuselage of the aircraft.

As a result, the researchers were able to find a way to add a “tiny microspheres” in carbon filament. These areas in the formation of cracks produced “the healing” fluid. This reagent penetrates into cracks, comes into contact with the catalyst and causes rapid chemical reaction and cures.

«We drew inspiration from the human body,” – said Professor Wass. “We (the people) can not sustain any damage – if we could, then one must have rhinoceros skin – but if it is damaged, the wound starts to bleed, and then formed a scab and then there is healing. We just wanted to create the same function in the synthetic material: give something that can heal itself ».

According to the newspaper, the technology is already interested in cosmetics company L’Oréal, which intends to create a self-healing nail polish. This will require a different technology, but Professor Wass argues that the general principle remains the same.