Rolls-royce Corporation

Composite Technology & Applications Limited

Darren Ivor James

Matthew Paul Jevons

Robert C Backhouse

Anmol A Manohar

Nicholas Michael Merriman

Ashley Barnes

Gordon Kalwak

Matthew Jevons

Aircraft

Methods of designing a plybook for a composite component are disclosed. Included method comprising: defining a component volume corresponding to the composite component to be manufactured; defining a plurality of successive plies of composite material to fill the component volume; simulating at least some of the plurality of successive plies of composite material based on an estimate of variable cured ply thickness, wherein the variable cured ply thickness is estimated by: simulating at least a portion of a respective ply of composite material; and estimating a cured ply thickness for the portion of composite material at least partly based on local conditions of the portion. A plybook is defined based on the plurality of simulated plies.

Method of designing a plybook for a composite component

A vertical take-off and landing aircraft is shown. The VTOL aircraft has a main wing having a left wing and a right wing configured as folding wings, and one or more of a foreplane, having a left canard and a right canard configured as folding wings, and/or a tailplane, having a left stabiliser and a right stabiliser configured as folding wings. Each one of the folding wings has a fixed inboard section and a folding outboard section. The folding outboard section is downwardly foldable to a landing condition to support the aircraft on a surface.

VTOL aircraft

A composite component having a body formed from a plurality of fiber reinforced non-metallic layers. The body includes a delamination region configured so as to permit delamination; and a deflector region configured so as to resist delamination. In the event of delamination, delamination is deflected to and continues to propagate in the delamination region.

Composite component

A composite turbomachine blade () comprises a composite material including reinforcing fibers in a matrix material, the turbomachine blade () comprises an aerofoil portion (), a shank portion () and a root portion (). The aerofoil portion () has a leading edge (), a trailing edge (). The composite turbomachine blade () also has a metallic protective member () arranged in the region of the leading edge () of the aerofoil portion () of the turbomachine blade (). The metallic protective member () is adhesively bonded to the composite material in the region of the leading edge () of the aerofoil portion () of the composite turbomachine blade (). The metallic protective member () has at least one metallic projection () extending from the metallic protective member () towards the root portion () of the composite turbomachine blade (). The at least one metallic projection () reduces local peak stress levels and increases high cycle fatigue strength in the composite material, the adhesive and the metallic protective member.

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Derby, United Kingdom

Darren Ivor James