Aircraft power needs could be met by landing-gear wheels
Future aircraft could contribute to their power needs by harnessing energy from the wheel rotation of their landing gear to generate electricity.
They could use this to power their taxiing to and from airport buildings, which would lead to savings on aviation fuel, cutting emissions and reducing noise pollution.
According to a statement, the feasibility of this — part of the Research Councils UK Energy Programme — has been confirmed by a team of engineers from Lincoln University with funding from EPSRC.
The energy produced by a aircraft’s braking system during landing — currently wasted as heat produced by friction in the aircraft’s disc brakes — would be captured and converted into electricity by motor generators built into the landing gear. The electricity would then be stored and supplied to the in-hub motors in the wheels of the aircraft when it needed to taxi.
‘Engine-less taxiing’ could therefore become a reality. ACARE (Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe) has made engine-less taxiing one of the key objectives beyond 2020 for the European aviation industry.
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