Hawks, one of the most predatory birds, carry unknown features along with their inconspicuous features. For example, in their noses. Yes, no one would think of it, but there is a mystery hidden in the hawk’s nose. So much so that we can say that the way jet engines work is related to the hawk’s nose.
Jet engines, which have become the symbol of power and speed, and the jet planes created with these engines were literally designed with the inspiration of the hawk bird. It must be an extraordinary design to direct the aviation industry by starting from a bird’s nose. One is engineering, the other is the extraordinary of nature… Let’s examine these two similarities together.
We can list certain features of the hawk as follows:
- They can live up to 80 years.
- While their length is 50-65 cm, their wings can be up to 130-165 cm.
- They can have a flight speed of up to 389 km per hour.
- Female hawks are larger than male hawks.
- According to research, there are 50 known types of hawks.
- In our country, they are most commonly found in the Marmara Region.
- They usually hunt during the day.
At the same time, hawks, known as a species of predatory birds, can be tamed. Yes, you heard right, these large winged birds are being domesticated. One of the goals today is tourism. Tourists who want to take a photo with a hawk earn money in return. Another goal is that some societies take advantage of the superior hunting properties of these birds and domesticate them for use in hunting.
Now, we can move on to the most valuable organ of this bird type. In other words, to the nose, which is the respiratory organ and the main subject of our content…
The nose of a hawk has different characteristics than the nose of any bird.
Have you ever noticed the nostrils of hawks? If we look carefully at close-up photographs of these birds, we will see that their nostrils are in a spiral shape.
This structure, which is a bony protrusion called tubercle, slows down the air and prevents the air pressure entering through the nostrils from causing direct lung damage. It increases air pressure by slowing the air flow. Thus, it allows air to enter the body slowly.
Additionally, according to research, traveling at high speeds does not cause lung damage. What happens is that top speed is reached during descent, and the increased airspeed encountered by the nostrils causes a drop in air pressure.
Since the energy flow is directed from high pressure to low pressure, it will move towards the decreasing air pressure in the lungs while the outside air pressure increases during descent. As the pressures try to balance each other, breathing will become difficult and the lungs will be damaged.
What do jet engines have to do with betting?
The miraculous feature of this spiral structure in the nose of hawks inspires the design of the inlet cones of jet engines. We know that the agile movements of jet planes with sudden altitude changes fascinate everyone.
While doing these, you are exposed to many air pressure changes. At this point, jet engines are produced by taking advantage of the aerodynamics of the hawk’s nose.
The air inlet part of jet engines is in a spiral form. This spiral-shaped structure slowly sucks the air from the front and compresses it with compressors. Thus, the air is compressed, heated and its pressure increases. Fuel is transferred quickly to ensure that the heated and pressurized air burns. A significant thrust force emerges from the burning fuel-air mixture.
If the air taken from the front had gone to the engine quickly during trends, serious negative consequences could have occurred due to pressure changes. For this reason, the air intake parts of the engines are spiral.
Schematic drawing of airflow in jet engines
In the diagram above, you see the path followed by the air entering the jet engine. The cold air encountered at supersonic speeds must first be slowed down so that it can pass through the engine and burn. This slowing down process is achieved thanks to the large cylindrical cones we see, which are the first place where the cold air encounters and are called the inner body.
The inspiration for F-16 aircraft also comes from the hawk.
When we say jet engine, we immediately think of F-16 aircraft. Actually, this situation is not a coincidence. The engines and the F-16 aircraft itself were designed exactly inspired by the falcon. So much so that the hawk bird is included in its emblems and slogan. F-16 aircraft introduce themselves to the world as “Fighting Falcons”.
As you can see, nature and engineering are intertwined in the design of jet engines. This is just one example of how nature inspires us. Many designs like this in the field of technology are inspired by nature. If you have any examples that come to your mind, let’s meet in the comments.
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