Aviation Sector Plan To Reduce Noise Produced At The Time Of Landing

The University of Texas A&M researchers have recently discovered methods that will help airplanes make a scheduled landing without an excessive noise. The research team has now published a computational study focusing on a shape-memory that can help reduce the unpleasant plane noise produced during landing. The team notes that materials could be integrated as passive, seamless fillers within airplane wings which can automatically be deployed into the perfect position during descent. When airplane engines are throttled back, they produce negligible amount of noise. Furthermore, any other external amount of sounds from the wings can become quite noticeable to the people on the ground.

The team wanted to study and create structures that will not pertain to the flight characteristics of the plane while dramatically decreasing the noise problem. Aircrafts generate 75-80 decibels during landing which can lead to hearing issues over long term. A previous study iterated that people exposed to sustained aircraft noise over long periods of time can experience disturbed sleep patterns and further be susceptible to an increased sign of a stroke and heart diseases to people who do not live near airplanes.

The authors quote the idea of the project similar to a sound that is generated in a flute. When a flute is played, air is blown over a hole which begins to swirl around the hole, and the size, the length and the amount of space pertained over the hole and produce a resonant sound of the adjoining frequency. Similarly, the circulating air in the cove created between the front edge of the wing and the main wing resonates in order to create a sharp and unpleasant noise. To address the gap, the researchers performed simulations locating the perfect membranes made of shape-memory alloy could go back and forth, changing their form for every landing.