Khaberni - Chinese researchers have successfully conducted the first test flight of a drone with wings made from bamboo fiber composites, paving the way for the use of more sustainable and less costly materials in aircraft manufacturing.
The Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that the airplane, which was developed and tested in the city of Tianjin, represents the world's first fixed-wing model using bamboo to this extent in its structure, following a series of intense technical tests to ensure its compliance with aviation standards, according to interestingengineering.
Lighter and Less Expensive
The new airplane's wingspan is about 8 feet and 2 inches (2.5 meters), and it weighs around 15 pounds (7 kilograms). It can take off and land vertically, fly at speeds exceeding 62 miles per hour or about 100 kilometers per hour, and stay in the air for more than an hour.
According to the research team, the airplane is more than 20% lighter compared to similar ones made from carbon fiber, and it can reduce structural costs by more than 20%.
This is due to the use of a new composite material based on bamboo instead of the common carbon fiber fabrics in the manufacturing of drones, which are highly durable but require substantial energy to produce and are difficult to decompose environmentally.
The researchers explained that the cost of composites made from bamboo is about a quarter of the cost of traditional carbon fiber fabrics, which opens the door to significantly reducing the production cost of drones.
Using Bamboo in the Aircraft Structure
More than 25% of the aircraft's structure is made from bamboo-based composite materials, including the outer shell, making it the first fixed-wing drone to use this material to this extent, according to the International Center for Bamboo and Rattan.
The development of the airplane involved the International Center for Bamboo and Rattan, the Ningbo Institute of Engineering Innovation at Beihang University, and Long Bamboo Technology company.
Intensive Tests to Ensure Aviation Standards
Project leader Qin Daochun said that developing bamboo-based composites for drones was not an easy task, as it required overcoming numerous technical challenges related to molding processes and adapting to various environmental conditions.
He further explained that the team conducted over 100 trials according to flightworthiness standards, focusing on testing the strength, toughness, and moldability of the material in the aircraft components.
He added that the final material combines high strength and stiffness with good moldability, which allowed it to meet the required aviation standards, and that the team worked on optimizing the production chain from selecting raw bamboo to manufacturing the outer casing of the airplane.
Expanding the Use of Green Materials
The results of the flight tests published by China Green Times indicate that the airplane met the required standards in terms of mechanical strength, elasticity coefficient, endurance, flight stability, and impact resistance.
The developers of the project believe that this airplane represents an important step towards expanding the use of green materials in what is known as "low-altitude economy" in China, which includes the use of drones in sectors such as logistics, agriculture, and environmental monitoring.
Long Bamboo Technology's CEO Lian Jiantchang stated that the company intends to focus on the lightweight, environmentally friendly, and biodegradable properties of bamboo materials, with expectations to expand their applications in other fields such as new energy vehicles and marine equipment.
The experts confirmed that these materials might exceed their applications in drones in the future to include structural components for small satellites or lightweight structures for spacecraft, thanks to their strength, stiffness, and ability to reduce vibrations.
