'Shark Skin' on Commercial Jets to Improve Efficiency

It’s a clear example of biomimicry, where designs from nature are used to solve human problems. This time to improve aerodynamics in order to reduce fuel consumption.

Delta Air Lines has joined forces with Australian company MicroTau to test a “shark skin” coating on some of its Boeing 767 aircraft, aiming to reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency by up to 4 percent. That might sound like a small number, but across an entire fleet, it translates to significant reductions in emissions and fuel costs, and potentially millions in savings, reports Forbes.

At first glance, a shark’s skin looks smooth. But zoom in with a microscope and you’ll find that shark skin is actually covered in tiny, overlapping scales called dermal denticles, which are more like miniature teeth than traditional fish scales. Made of dentin (yes, the same hard material found in our teeth), these structures form a rough surface that channels water more efficiently along a shark’s body.

This natural engineering, honed over hundreds of millions of years, is the reason sharks are among the most efficient swimmers in the ocean. And it’s precisely why human engineers are eager to replicate their design. That same principle is now being used by engineers at Delta’s Sustainable Skies Lab, who are testing this technology by placing microscopic grooves - nicknamed “riblets” - onto the fuselage of planes. Just like real dermal denticles, these riblets guide airflow in a way that minimizes turbulence and resistance.

The film coating is a scalable solution that can be retrofitted onto existing transport to minimise the carbon footprint of transport industries, the company says. The Independent reports that the company also claims that with this new technology, commercial aviation and shipping companies can save over $34bn in fuel costs and eliminate hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

For instance, if the film were to be applied to an aircraft like the Airbus A380, it could save over $5,000 per flight from Sydney to LA in fuel and more than 18 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, MicroTau said.