I januar 2016 hadde Teknisk Ukeblad en artikkel om dette vidunderstoffet. (Red.)
Graphene is aviation's future: Branson
UK billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson.
File photo.
UK billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has
raised the prospect of planes being made entirely from the so-called wonder
material, graphene, within 10 years, as the airline industry labours under a 50%
increase in fuel in the past year, sparking a desperate need for lighter
fleets.
The Virgin Atlantic president described the super-lightweight
material as a "breakthrough technology" which, he said, could help revolutionise
the airline industry and transform its cost base.
Speaking in Seattle,
where Virgin has just begun flights on a daily basis, Branson said: "Graphene is
even lighter [than carbon fibre], many times lighter and many times
stronger.
"Hopefully graphene can be the planes of the future.10 years
down the line. They would be massively lighter than the current planes, which
again would make a difference on fuel burn."
Graphene is a single layer
of carbon atoms forming a regular hexagonal pattern and is extracted from
graphite. It has a litany of uses and is said to be as light as a feather yet
stronger than steel.
The entrepreneur likened the push for graphene
planes to urging Airbus and Boeing to make planes from carbon fibre, a battle he
won.
Boeing's latest 787 Dreamliner planes, which Virgin is flying on the
London Heathrow-Seattle route, are made from 50% carbon fibre and other
composite materials, as opposed to the traditional 100% aluminium. They use 30%
less fuel than their standard alternatives.
Abonner på:
Legg inn kommentarer (Atom)
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar
Merk: Bare medlemmer av denne bloggen kan legge inn en kommentar.