wing coatings

Nasa has successfully tested five different coatings on aircraft wings, to combat insect residue and help improve fuel-efficiency of the aircraft.

The non-stick wing coatings have been tested on Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator 757 in Shreveport, Louisiana, US.

Nasa’s Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) project team evaluated the coatings’ capabilities of preventing insect remains from sticking to the right wing of aircraft, increasing the drag and fuel burn.

As part of the programme, the 757 completed 15 flights from Shreveport regional airport with several takeoffs and landings.

ERA project manager Fay Collier said: "There still is a lot of research to be done, but early data indicated one coating had about a 40% reduction in bug counts and residue compared to a control surface mounted next to it."

"Early data indicated one coating had about a 40% reduction in bug counts and residue compared to a control surface mounted next to it."

Nasa Langley Research Center has worked on bug chemistry, to develop and test more than 200 coating formulations.

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The coatings were trialled in a small wind tunnel, and a few were selected for flight on-the-wing of a Nasa jet.

Langley Research Center senior materials scientist Mia Siochi said: "We learned when a bug hits and its body ruptures the blood starts undergoing some chemical changes to make it stickier."

In April, Nasa trialled the active flow control enhanced vertical tail flight experiment on ecoDemonstrator 757, to evaluate the impact of sweeping jet actuators on the tail and rudder surfaces aerodynamics.

Image: Nasa materials scientist Mia Siochi and systems engineer Mike Alexander and Boeing technician Felix Boyett. Photo: courtesy of Nasa / Paul Bagby.