First there was fabric over wood and/or metal frameworks. Then were was metal over metal, which led to monocoque construction. Eventually, composite materials followed suit, complete with a subcutaneous layer of acoustic foam to keep things quiet. Paint protects and makes pretty the skin’s exterior; between it and a composite skin is some form of lightening protection and a filler to smooth out any layup imperfections.
Working as a team with GE and the Georgia Institute of Technology on a NASA study completed last year, N+3 Small Commercial Efficient and Quiet Transportation for Year 2030-2035, Cessna turned things around to create a new composite skin it calls STAR-C2, for “Smoothing, Thermal, Absorbing, Reflective, Conductive, Cosmetic.” Not only does the new skin weigh less than half of the current composite coatings, Cessna just received a NASA contract to develop it.
Wired called the Cessna innovation a “self-healing “magic skin’ condom for future aircraft.” I didn’t read the entire 422-page NASA report, so I might have missed the “self-healing” part, but page 270 talks about STAR-C2’s goals, objectives, and many benefits. Increased damage tolerance is one of them, thanks to a layer of energy absorbing foam that takes one for the team.
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