STEALTH COATINGS FOR AIRCRAFT
From: Dr. Jai Maharaj (usenet_at_mantra.com)
Date: 09/21/04
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Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2004 22:56:04 GMT
Stealth coatings for aircraft
By Our Bureau
The Hindu
Thursday, September 16, 2004
The goal of the project is to develop intelligent
coatings that will enable aircraft to change colours to
blend in with the background.
THOUGH THEY are known for their radar-evading design it
does not mean that stealth aircraft cannot be seen by the
human eye. "In fact, some of these aircraft are made to
fly relatively slowly and this makes them quite
vulnerable to ground fire," said physicist Seamus 'Shay'
Curran, head of the nanotechnology program at New Mexico
State University.
New meaning
High-tech coatings that will give new meaning to the term
'stealth aircraft' are being developed by Curran and his
collaborators at Wake Forest University and the
University of Florida. The goal of Curran's aptly named
Agile Response Chameleon Coatings research project, for
example, is to develop intelligent coatings that will
enable aircraft to change colours to blend in with the
background, making them harder for ground forces to see.
Bending light
"We are working on photochromic and electrochromic cells
that can switch colours like LEDs (light-emitting
diodes)," Curran said. "We're going to build the cells
first and then the computer system to control the cells.
We're also developing a nonlinear coating that would bend
light a certain way,'' he continued. "This is playing
with luminescence and fluorescence. If you can blur the
edges, it makes it very difficult to focus on an object.
It gives it sort of a shimmer, like you see sometimes
with distant objects on a hot day. Chameleon-like colour
changes and blurry edges could buy the pilot a couple of
seconds," Curran said.
Thwarting missiles
The researchers' stealthy innovations do not stop there.
A coating to thwart missiles that use infrared lock-on
targeting systems is another project they are working on.
Another would protect against electronic attacks on
systems and communications by shielding pilots from
electromagnetic interference. Operating on its own, the
'smart' stealth technology will sense and respond to the
aircraft's environment.
Besides military applications, Curran expects the new
materials will have numerous commercial applications.
''We are trying to develop better structural materials,
better composites -- more lightweight, robust and
durable,'' he said.
''A lot of the coatings we are developing I hope we can
commercialize , like anti-static coatings, thermal
coatings and electromagnetic interference shields.'' The
key to creating composites with such remarkable
properties is nanotechnology, the ability to build
materials an atom at a time, Curran said. ''The real
essence of it is control at the nanoscale."
More at:
http://www.hindu.com/seta/2004/09/16/stories/2004091600161400.htm
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