The MEA concept (More Electric Aircraft) is not new. It came about by the middle of the 20th century, during World War II, with the plans of certain military aircraft designers to decrease the weight of aircraft that were mostly operated by mechanical methods. It seemed possible. Electric systems were coming through effectively.
One of the technologies that have contributed the most to the improvement of aircraft is the MEA “More Electric Aircraft” concept.
Along with the decrease in weight, electric systems allowed for a better control, monitoring, fault tolerance, decreased maintenance cost and increased overall reliability of the aircraft. NASA got involved and carried out several studies that backed up this trend.
The general aim was, and still is, to decrease and even eliminate mechanical drive systems so the electric system is the primary or only system of the aircraft.
The latest aircraft designed and manufactured are much more efficient than the ones from just a few decades ago for this reason, along with the use of new materials and other improved practices. The best examples of this trend are the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350 XWB.
With this infographic, we want to provide an introduction to the «More Electric Aircraft» concept so you can learn more about how these aircraft -whose use is becoming increasingly more common- have changed and improved.
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Source: Own work.
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