Rolls-royce Corporation

Alison Jane McMillan

Ian C D Care

Stephen John Booth

Simon Read

Bijoysri Khan

Eric P Ravey

Danny N Wadewitz

Dale Edward Evans

Peter Rowland Beckford

Seamus Dominic Garvey

Richard Gordon Milburn

Kevin A White

Stephen Jonathan Dimelow

Graham Watson

Ian Cd Care

Andrew D Jackson

Michael J Mountney

David V Roberts

Colin A Foord

Andrew David Jackson

David Vaughan Roberts

A bolt which extends into the first casing part, into the hole in the barrel nut, and into the second casing part, wherein the bolt engages with the barrel nut so as to join the first casing part to the second casing part; wherein the barrel nut includes a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion of the barrel nut is structurally weaker than the second portion of the barrel nut such that, if a predetermined load between the first casing part and the second casing part is exceeded, the first portion of the barrel nut becomes crushed while the second portion of the barrel nut remains engaged with the bolt. The casing assembly may be included in a gas turbine engine.

Casing assembly

A component, for example an aerofoil vane or other gas path structure in a gas turbine machine such as a gas turbine engine, in which an insulated electrical conductor path is embedded structurally integrally, and in which electromagnetic shielding, for the embedded electrical conductor path is provided structurally integrally.

Electrical conductor paths

A method of manufacturing a component comprising a hollow axisymmetric body formed of a cured composite material is provided. The method includes the step of positioning the constituents of the composite material in a mold corresponding to at least a portion of the hollow axisymmetric body. The composite material is cured into a composite part, and residual stresses are generated in the composite material during the curing by controlling the temperature of the constituents in the mold. When the composite part is released from the mold, relaxation of the residual stresses causes one or more regions of the composite part to deflect in the radial direction of the hollow axisymmetric body, the position of greatest radial deflection of each region having a radial deflection which is at least 0.1% of the greatest diameter of the hollow axisymmetric body.

Composite material hollow axisymmetric body

Apparatusfor forming a composite component is disclosed, the apparatus comprising: a deformable mold toolthat at least partially defines a mold cavity; an interface layerformed on an external surface of the mold tool; and at least two peristaltic actuators, mounted to contact the interface layerand to generate a peristaltic pressure wave in the mold tool. The peristaltic actuators comprise rollers, pistonsor bi-metallic blocks. A method of forming a composite component is also disclosed, the method employing a mold toolthat at least partially defines a mold cavity. The method comprises: placing reinforcing fibers into the mold cavity, forcing a matrix material into the mold cavitythrough the reinforcing fibers, and generating a peristaltic pressure wave within the mold toolduring forcing of the matrix material into the mold cavity

Apparatus for forming a composite component

A composite flange element formed on a casing comprising a portion of a component and an adjoining flange portion, the composite having a ply layup comprising: one or more first plies extending over both the portion of the component and the flange portion; one or more second plies extending over the flange portion; and one or more third plies extending over the portion of the component; wherein the first, second and third plies are selected to provide desirable properties for the portions over which they extend. The flange element so formed consists of one or more load spreading features associated with the flange portion and one or more stress reduction features in the region where the portion of the component meets the flange portion. Preferably the plies are arranged or interleaved such that they run up the case and flange without distortion.

Composite flange element

A method of conditioning a first, heterogeneous contact surface for operational engagement with a second contact surface, the method comprising: performing a smoothing operation on part or all of the first contact surface while subjecting said part or all of the first contact surface respectively to a contact pre-stress corresponding to a nominal operational contact stress between the first and second contact surfaces.

Methods for controlling friction between heterogeneous contact surfaces

A containment casing is provided comprising a radially outer layer; an intermediate energy absorbing layer, and a retention framework for retaining an aerofoil blade in the event of detachment of whole or part of the blade. The retention framework is distributed axially and circumferentially along the casing and extends substantially radially inwardly at least partially through the intermediate energy absorbing layer.

Containment casing

A method is provided that enables the identification of a region of a layered composite component that a test signal has passed through. The method comprises applying a label to the test signal as it passes through the region, such that the label applied to the test signal is indicative of the said region. The labelled signal can be identified by a sensor, even if the signal is of low strength and amongst a lot of noise, such as that caused by the multiple reflections and refractions that take place when an acoustic signal passes through a layered composite component.

Layered composite components

A composite material and method for manufacturing the material, the material including: a plurality of plies layered one on top of the other; and one or more through-thickness fibers which join one or more of the plurality of plies to one another; wherein the one or more through-thickness fibers form a boundary which delineates one or more discrete regions of the material.

Composite material and method

A method for locating artifacts, such as particles or voids, in a material includes the steps of defining a path through a volume of the material, sensing the presence and type of any artifacts along the path and determining for each sensed artifact, the respective distance along the path. Analysis of the quantity of sensed artifacts and their respective position along the path enables the determination of measures for the artifact density, artifact size and artifact distribution in the material.

Method for locating artefacts in a material

Blades for gas turbine engines which are formed from composite materials have problems with respect of resistance to impacts such as bird strikes. Previous blades formed from metals had some ductility towards the trailing edge which could accommodate the whiplash effects of impacts. With regard to composite materials such ductility is not present. By providing projectionswhich act as propagation wave trips as well as high intensity reflectorsit is possible to limit the whiplash at the edgeresulting in damage. Typically a cladding capis provided which also may be formed from a metal to allow some greater uniformity with respect to mass per length despite the tapering of the blade. Furthermore by providing voids which act as delamination initiation sites cracking can be provided between plies which allows greater flexibility towards the edge and therefore release of energy. These voids may incorporate uncured polymer matrix to act as a binder subsequent to delamination.

Blade for a gas turbine engine comprising composite material having voids configured to act as crack initiation points when subject to deformation wave

A fiber cutting device and method for cutting one or more exposed portions of a through-thickness fiber in a surface of a composite material, the device including: a cutting element for cutting the one or more exposed portions; a suction device which is operable to extract the cut exposed portions from the surface of the composite material; and a storage device for receiving the cut exposed portions.

Fibre cutting device and method

A mold for a composite component having a fillet joint, the mold including a mold body having a cavity within which the component is formed, and an insert mating with the mold body and including a forming surface against which, in use, the fillet of the component fillet joint is formed. The insert may be thermally insulating and highly rigid. A method of forming a composite component having a fillet joint using a mold, the method including forcing a surface of the fillet region of the component to adopt a non constant radius of curvature while the component is inside the mold during the cure process is also provided. Additionally, a method of forming a composite component having a fillet joint that is defined between first and second legs the method including placing the legs of the component in bending during cure of the component is described.

Methods and apparatus for forming a composite component

A strain gauge assembly is disclosed, including a plurality of strain gauges arranged in a side-by-side relationship, each having a first end and a second end. The first and/or second end of one of the plurality of strain gauges is offset from a corresponding first and/or second end of another of the plurality of strain gauges.

Strain gauge assembly and method

A composite material comprises plies, which may be prepregs. Film elementsare provided between at least two adjacent ones of the plies. The film elements are made from a release material which inhibits adhesion between regions of the resin on opposite sides of the respective film elements, and are randomly distributed. The film elementsprovide delamination sites within the component. The component may be a test piece for assessing the delamination behavior of the material. Alternatively, the delamination behavior caused by the film elementsmay have a useful purpose, for example to control regions of a component in which delamination occurs following events such as a bird strike on a fan blade of a gas turbine engine.

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Uttoxeter, United Kingdom

Alison Jane McMillan