21 Aug Juno – The first graphene drone
Engineers from Central Lancashire University (UCLan) helped by industrialists and Haydale Composite Solutions, a supplier of graphene, recently presented at the Futures Day event at the Farnborough Air Show 2018 air show a three-and-a-half-metre wide graphene skinned aircraft named JUNO.
The wing, consists of a graphene coating, is 17% lighter than if it had been covered with carbon fibers. Thank to this its use makes it possible to increase the battery life (or the range of action), or to increase the load capacity.
Graphene has another advantage of avoiding the accumulation of ice on the wing at altitude. He can also take a thunderbolt without flinching because of its high conductivity.
Finally some parts of the aircraft were printed in 3D.
The next step is to fly Juno and conduct further tests over the next two months.
See the video below:
More information here:
https://www.futura-sciences.com/tech/actualites/drone-voici-juno-premier-drone-revetu-graphene-72440/
https://www.uclan.ac.uk/news/another-aerospace-world-first.php