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Apr 2007

Identifying unsafe vibration spectrums can make aircraft safer

     London: Aircraft are increasingly being built out of composite materials that are lighter and stronger than normal metals. But they have drawbacks as well. Since they tend to be less stiff, they are more prone to vibration, and occasionally, these vibrations can become so violent that they can destroy the material, and lead to catastrophe in the air. NASA researchers believe one way to prevent this from happening is to spot potentially damaging vibrations before they grow out of control. The trick, they say, is to analyse the spectrum of vibrations present in a material and to distinguish between safe vibrations that tend to dampen out, and unsafe ones that can escalate dangerously. According to the researchers, once the unsafe vibrations have been spotted, the material can be modified in a way that controls them, "although engineers must be careful that these changes do not then introduce other unsafe vibrations". According to New Scientist, NASA scientists believe the technique can make modern aircraft built from composite materials safer.
-Apr 17, 2007