A new study suggests airplane design follows the evolutionary patterns of flying animals, guided by the laws of physics.
Lead researcher and professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Duke University Adrian Bejan worked with colleagues to examine the design evolution of airplanes over the past 20 years. Their observations showed changes in introduction, size, cruising speed, engine weight, fuel weight, range, wingspan and fuselage length, among others.
Bejan developed a constructal law in 1996 which states that "for a finite-size flow system to persist in time (to survive) its configuration must evolve (morph) in time in such a way that it provides easier flow access." The same rule applies to airplanes in which the designs evolved to accommodate more people and goods while maintaining the essential features of the plane, such as proportion of engine to body size, wing size with the length of the fuselage.
"The same design features can be seen in any large land animal," said Bejan in a university news release. "Larger animals have longer lifespans and travel farther distances, just as passenger airplanes have been designed to do. For example, the ratio of the engine to aircraft size is analogous to the ratio of a large animal's total body size to its heart, lungs and muscles."
The findings of the study can be used in the developing new designs for the airplanes in the future.
"This study gives the rough sketch of what airplane designs will put you in the game," said Bejan. "For design companies, it is money in the bank."
Further details of the study were published in the July 22 issue of Applied Physics.
