A newly-designed material, which mimics the wing structure of owls, could help make wind turbines, computer fans and even planes much quieter. Early wind tunnel tests of the coating have shown a substantial reduction in noise without any noticeable effect on aerodynamics.
No other bird has this sort of intricate wing structure
Nigel Peake
An investigation into how owls fly and hunt in silence has enabled researchers to develop a prototype coating for wind turbine blades that could significantly reduce the amount of noise they make.
Early tests of the material, which mimics the intricate structure of an owl’s wing, have demonstrated that it could significantly reduce the amount of noise produced by wind turbines and other types of fan blades, such as those in computers or planes. Since wind turbines are heavily braked in order to minimise noise, the addition of this new surface would mean that they could be run at much higher speeds – producing more energy while making less noise. For an average-sized wind farm, this could mean several additional megawatts worth of electricity.
The surface has been developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with researchers at three institutions in the USA. Their results will be presented today (22 June) at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aeroacoustics Conference in Dallas.
“Many owls – primarily large owls like barn owls or great grey owls – can hunt by stealth, swooping down and capturing their prey undetected,” said Professor Nigel Peake of Cambridge’s Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, who led the research. “While we’ve known this for centuries, what hasn’t been known is how or why owls are able to fly in silence.”
Peake and his collaborators at Virginia Tech, Lehigh and Florida Atlantic Universities used high resolution microscopy to examine owl feathers in fine detail. They observed that the flight feathers on an owl’s wing have a downy covering, which resembles a forest canopy when viewed from above. In addition to this fluffy canopy, owl wings also have a flexible comb of evenly-spaced bristles along their leading edge, and a porous and elastic fringe on the trailing edge.
“No other bird has this sort of intricate wing structure,” said Peake. “Much of the noise caused by a wing – whether it’s attached to a bird, a plane or a fan – originates at the trailing edge where the air passing over the wing surface is turbulent. The structure of an owl’s wing serves to reduce noise by smoothing the passage of air as it passes over the wing – scattering the sound so their prey can’t hear them coming.”
In order to replicate the structure, the researchers looked to design a covering that would ‘scatter’ the sound generated by a turbine blade in the same way. Early experiments included covering a blade with material similar to that used for wedding veils, which despite its open structure, reduced the roughness of the underlying surface, lowering surface noise by as much as 30dB.
Read more: Silent flights: How owls could help make wind turbines and planes quieter
The Latest on: Noise reduction technologies
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Noise reduction technologies” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Noise reduction technologies
- 10 Myths About Noise Canceling Headphones We Need To Put To Bedon May 9, 2024 at 3:30 pm
Active noise cancellation really cuts down on annoying environmental noise, but it's not a silver bullet. Myths and marketing have muddied the waters for years.
- Focusrite Clarett+ 8Pre Review: A Step Up for Home (and Pro) Engineerson May 9, 2024 at 2:28 pm
We've tested and reviewed Focusrite's Clarett+ 8Pre and OctoPre. Check out our review to see if this is the best interface for you!
- These over-the-ear headphones sound better than any otherson May 9, 2024 at 1:44 pm
Which are the best over-ear headphones right now? That's a hard question to answer. The number of great models to choose from seems to grow year over year, which makes it tough to name a single model ...
- Best noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds to shop now in Singaporeon May 9, 2024 at 1:00 pm
The popular Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise-Cancelling Headphones are lightweight and comfortable to wear for extended periods. They provide superior sound and call quality, and can be used for work ...
- Motorola Launches Moto Buds And Moto Buds+ Earbuds In India: Check Price, Offers, Specs And Moreon May 9, 2024 at 7:19 am
Motorola has launched its Moto Buds and Moto Buds+ earbuds in India. Previously, these earbuds were available in Europe and other countries but now they've finally arrived in India, offering ...
- Turning Quantum Noise Into a Teleportation Breakthroughon May 8, 2024 at 4:05 pm
Researchers succeeded in conducting an almost perfect quantum teleportation despite the presence of noise that usually disrupts the transfer of quantum state. In teleportation, the state of a quantum ...
- Postnatal ward at Royal Cornwall Hospital trials noise reductionon May 3, 2024 at 11:17 pm
Patient call bells have been silenced and replaced with technology that push alerts to staff mobile phones on the postnatal ward at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro (RCHT). The Silent Hospital ...
- Pebble unveils true Noise Cancellation & NextGen Connectivity with latest BlissBuds earbuds rangeon May 1, 2024 at 9:32 am
After creating waves in the Indian smartwatch market, homegrown wearable brand Pebble has now diversified its portfolio to unveil its latest BlissBuds, which ...
- Navy tests one possible means to Growler noise reductionon May 1, 2024 at 1:30 am
As the state’s lawsuit pends, the Navy has tested one promising technology to reduce their noise. As the state’s lawsuit against the U.S. Navy for the Growler expansion violating the National ...
- Shure Reveals The All-New Nexadyne Series Of Dynamic Mics For Stage Useon April 30, 2024 at 6:00 am
Shure says these new vocal microphones achieve a new level of polar pattern consistency and exceptional noise reduction ... innovator in dynamic microphone technology,” said Nick Wood, Senior ...
via Bing News