Penguins could hold secret to stopping planes crashing

Flightless penguins could hold secret to stopping planes crashing in icy conditions

Research: Science behind penguins' feathers could be applied to planes

They may be famous for being flightless, but the reason why penguins do not freeze could hold a clue that prevents aeroplanes from crashing, according to a study by rocket scientists.

Researchers have discovered why the birds manage to keep their feathers ice free even though they are constantly coming out of the sea and hitting temperatures which can fall to a staggering minus 40 degrees celsius.

And if they can apply it to the wings of aircraft, they may be able to stop ice forming which, in some cases, has been known to lead to the planes crashing.

All penguins have water repelling oil in their feathers. But aerospace engineers discovered penguins in the coldest regions on earth had even more efficient feathers than those in warmer climes.

PA

Important: Numerous incidents have occurred in the past due to ice on wings

Antarctic based species live in temperatures which fall to minus 40C where the winds blow up to 40 meters a second, for instance.

But their feathers were found to be ‘superhydrophobic’ thanks to a complicated nanostructure combined with oil which stops water droplets from soaking into the feathers themselves.

The feathers have tiny pores that trap air while the oil is supplied by a gland near the base of the tail to circulate throughout the feathers.

This creates a surface where the water droplets cannot spread to they remain as tiny beads which roll off the surface, said researchers from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

Lead researcher, Professor Pirouz Kavehpour carried out the study after watching a documentary on penguins and wondering why they no ice ever formed on them.

The team collected feathers from different species of the birds from San Diego SeaWorld and noticed the difference in those in extreme cold climates to those in warmer climes.

Prof Kavehpour said: “Heat flow could be compared to traffic. If you have a freeway that turns into a tiny, two-lane road, the traffic will back up

“Similarly, heat does not flow well from the large cross-section of the middle of the drop to the small cross-section where the drop makes contact with the feather.”

Ironic: Researchers have seen the funny side in the discovery including one of the few flightless birds

But the same principle could work on aircraft wings too. Ice on wings, flaps and rudders can alter the aerodynamic properties of a plane and has been cited as a factor in crashes.

Some use chemical de-icers in the winter but this is an expensive process and not foolproof. The researchers hope to be able to adapt the superhydrophobic surface of a penguin to that of an aircraft.

Their paper will be presented to a physics conference in the US this week.

But their report added: “Superhydrophobic surfaces inspired by penguins might be cheaper, longer-lasting and more environmentally friendly.

“It’s a little ironic that a bird that doesn’t fly could one day help airplanes fly more safely.”