Covered in Copper: New 787 Dreamliner Includes 57 Miles of Copper
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When the next-generation Boeing 787 Dreamliner takes flight sometime in 2009, it will benchmark a new era in commercial aircraft manufacturing and design. Unlike most of today's jetliners, which have lightweight but strong aluminum bodies and wings, 50 percent of the Dreamliner's outer structure will be made of composite carbon fiber materials.
To protect the plane's nonmetallic body-and passengers within it-against lightning strikes, a copper "conductor cable net" reportedly will be embedded in the fuselage. This creates a metal enclosure that allows electricity to harmlessly pass around the aircraft, a phenomenon that is well understood and tested by aircraft designers. Copper is commonly used for this application because of its superior electrical conductivity.
According to Boeing, the new aircraft also will include 57 miles of copper wiring.
Although the Dreamliner is a large aircraft by today's standards, it will use less fuel and fly farther than many commercial jets now in use. Boeing already has more than 700 orders valued at $110 billion for the Dreamliner, making it the most successful rollout in aviation history. Customers that place orders today will have to wait until 2015 for delivery. Cu
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Also in this Issue:
- Brooklyn's Buried Treasure Saved by City
- The Killing Game: Using Copper to Battle Deadly Bacteria
- Pumping Copper
- CDA Launches Architectural Awards Program
- Copper on the Brain
- Covered in Copper: New 787 Dreamliner Includes 57 Miles of Copper