World's first graphene-skinned airplane unveiled in the UK

https://newatlas.com/graphene-skinned-aircraft/55817/

World's first graphene-skinned airplane unveiled in the UK

AIRCRAFT

Ben Coxworth

20 hours ago

Members of the engineering team pose with Juno

At the recent Farnborough Air Show 2018, aerospace engineers from
Britain's University of Central Lancashire presented what they state
is the world's first graphene-skinned aircraft. Known as Juno, the 3.5
meter-wide (11.5-ft) unmanned plane could be a sign of things to come.

Developed in partnership with the Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing
Research Centre, the University of Manchester's National Graphene
Institute, and Haydale Graphene Industries, Juno additionally features
graphene-based batteries and 3D-printed components. Its skin, though,
is where the real action is.

Consisting of one-atom-thick layers of linked carbon atoms, graphene
is not only the world's strongest manmade material, but it's also
highly conductive, both thermally and electrically.

Because it's so strong, an outer covering of it adds strength to
conventional fuselage materials. This allows for less of those
materials to be used, leading to significant weight reductions. As a
result, aircraft incorporating such skins could carry heavier payloads
without using more fuel, or fly for longer distances on a given amount
of fuel. Additionally, because graphene's thermal conductivity allows
heat to spread throughout the material, it's not prone to ice buildup.

And finally, the electrical conductivity of graphene causes the energy
of lightning strikes to be dispersed throughout the surface of the
fuselage, as opposed to causing damage through localized heating in
one area.

The engineers plan to conduct test flights of Juno over the next two
months.

Source: Marketing Lancashi
https://www.marketinglancashire.com/...skinned-plane/