England Universities Test Planes To Withstand Extreme Weather Conditions

With airplanes flying in hazardous conditions on an almost every-day basis and lightning strikes threatening to cause an emergency landing, due to a sudden shock of the electrical system, Cardiff University's engineering department, according to CNN, have created a state-of-the-art "lightning-lab" where bolts of electricity are shot onto aircraft components.

The idea is to recreate the conditions present when lightning strikes a plane at 35,000 feet, testing the fortitude of composite materials and conductor strips found on modern planes, CNN added.

"There is a lightning strike every second around the world (and) every single aircraft is hit by lightning once a year," said Professor Manu Hadad of Cardiff University's Institute of Energy, reported CNN.

Displaying the charred remains of two recently zapped plane panels, Hadad explains that a thin layer of copper mesh on an aircraft's exterior can drastically reduce the damage caused when lightning strikes, according to CNN.

The project, which is fully supported finanically by the govenerment and aerospace manufacturer, EADS, by a $2 million donation, according to CNN, has a goal of further refining and increasing the working knowledge of how an aircraft copes with these elements at altitude.

In London, at Cranfield University, there is a team of engineers that specialize in analyzing the formation of ice around engines and on aeroplane [sic] wings.

According to Dr David Hammond of Cranfield's School of Engineering, a large build up of ice can alter the shape and performance of vital aircraft components, reported CNN.

Pointing to a freshly tested model wing, Hammond explains how "the ice that forms (during flight)... can have a big spike that reverses the curvature of the leading (wing) edge and creates unsteadiness," according to CNN.

"In an aircraft we work out which parts are most critical and make sure they're protected one way or another," he added, reported CNN.

If these tests can provide more information on how a plane reacts in inclement weather, it will aid aircraft engineers in the design and structure, which will ultimately result in a more efficient and sturdier plane.