BLADE, a laminar wing technology manufactured by a European consortium led by Airbus in collaboration with the Catalan firm Aritex and the Eurecat technology centre, will reduce wing friction by half on new models of aircraft and lower carbon dioxide emissions by 5%, according to the results of the initial flight tests.
Specifically, Aritex and Eurecat have developed the templates, tooling and accessories required to remove the original wings from the Airbus A340 that is being used as a flight lab, as well as the components to install the laminar flow wings prior to conducting the flight tests. The two organizations have been involved at all stages of the process: from the concept stage through to final delivery.
In the words of Ángel Lagraña, the director of Eurecat’s Aeronautics Market Unit, “Aritex and Eurecat have designed and implemented efficient processes for coupling and decoupling the laminar flow wings from the demonstrator aircraft. Laminar wing technology offers a more aerodynamic design for the wing structure, which reduces friction by half and may also improve the environmental footprint, fuel consumption and range of future models of aircraft”.
“The advantages of laminar wings have been known for decades, but until now we lacked the appropriate technology to apply these designs in the field of commercial aviation”, Lagraña continued. “Flight tests, which will continue over the coming months, allow us to calculate the tolerances of the laminar structure under different conditions. To do this we employ a range of innovative methods, such as sensors applied throughout the wing and infra-red cameras”, he added.
