Crompton Technology Group Limited

Goodrich Corporation

James William Bernard

Jon Pethick

Will Pollitt

Ioannis Giannakopoulos

Alexander Douglas Taylor

Paul Daniel Liddel

Ian Thomas Chase

Nathaniel M Gray

Robert Edwin Finney

Rony Giovanni Ganis

Bradley William Baird

Thomas Beale

Panagiota Chatzi

Myrto Angeliki Matzakou

Jashen Litesh

Daniel O Ursenbach

Michael Paul Somerfield

Navaneethakrishnan Pandian

Dale V L Faulkner

William Pollitt

Dale Faulkner

Lee Slater

Paul Peacock

Hugo Palmer

Thomas Higginbottom

Daniel Ursenbach

A fiber-reinforced polymer composite shaft for transmitting loads along a central axis. The composite shaft comprises a first interface surface extending along the central axis and comprising at least one helical groove and/or a plurality of circumferential grooves for engaging with at least one corresponding helical ridge and/or a plurality of corresponding circumferential ridges of a second interface surface of an end fitting. The at least one helical groove and/or the plurality of circumferential grooves comprises at least one flank with a flank angle of between 32° and 51°. In such an assembly, a preload structure is arranged to provide a radial biasing force to bias the first interference surface against the second interference surface.

Composite end connections

A method of manufacturing a monolithic fiber-reinforced polymer composite component is provided. The method comprises providing a mould comprising a main cavity and at least one additional cavity that extends from the main cavity; introducing a polymer matrix material containing chopped fiber reinforcement into the mould to fill the main cavity and the at least one additional cavity to form a monolithic fiber-reinforced polymer composite component with a main portion formed in the main cavity and at least one raised feature formed in the additional cavity and extending from a surface plane of said main portion. The at least one raised feature is arranged to incur visually perceptible damage when the component is subject to an impact with an energy above a predetermined impact energy threshold and to resist an impact with an energy below the predetermined impact energy threshold.

Method of manufacturing a composite component

A shaft assembly includes a composite tube and an impact shield. The composite tube has a longitudinal centerline axis and the impact shield may be disposed around the composite tube and may extend along a length of the composite tube. A gap may be defined between the composite tube and the impact shield. Generally, shaft assembly is configured to inhibit impact damage to the composite tube and/or facilitate visual detection of damage from impacts. The shaft assembly may further include a shock absorbing sleeve disposed in the gap between the composite tube and the impact shield.

Shaft assembly comprising an impact shield

A method of manufacturing a composite (e.g. fibre-reinforced polymer) connector comprises: manufacturing a tubular hub portion which extends substantially parallel to a central axis C, the hub portion comprising a thermoplastic polymer reinforced with continuous, circumferentially-oriented fibre reinforcement; placing the hub portion into a mould featuring at least one cavity; and introducing polymer into the mould so as to fill the at least one cavity to form a flange portion around the hub portion.

Composite connectors and methods of manufacturing the same

A fiber-reinforced polymer composite component formed from a polymer matrix material containing fiber reinforcement. The component comprises a main portion and at least one raised feature extending from a surface plane s of said main portion. The at least one raised feature is arranged to incur visually perceptible damage when the component is subject to an impact with an energy above a predetermined impact energy threshold and to resist an impact with an energy below the predetermined impact energy threshold.

Composite components with impact detection

A composite shaft with an end fitting mounted on an interface region on at least one end of said shaft, and a preload structure arranged to provide a biasing force to bias the composite shaft against the end fitting; wherein the preload structure is in an interference fit with the composite shaft. The preload structure is applied to the composite shaft in a subsequent operation to the mounting of the end fitting to the shaft.

Composite shaft

A method of manufacturing a connector for a fluid transfer conduit comprises: providing a first mould section comprising a hub-moulding portion which extends substantially parallel to a central axis C and a flange-moulding portion which extends from the hub-moulding portion at an angle to the central axis C; introducing fiber-reinforcement to the first mould section such that continuous circumferentially-oriented fiber-reinforcement lies in the hub-moulding portion, and continuous longitudinally-oriented fiber reinforcement extends from the hub-moulding portion into the flange-moulding portion; applying a second mould section over the first mould section to form a complete mould in which the fiber-reinforcement is confined; and introducing a polymer to the complete mould such that it permeates through the fiber-reinforcement to form a fiber-reinforced polymer connector; and extracting the connector from the mould.

An actuator includes: a cylinder, formed of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), that extends along an actuator axis between a cylinder first end and a cylinder second end, and defines a cylinder inner diameter surface; a screw shaft that extends along the actuator axis between a screw shaft first end and a screw shaft second end, that is at least partially within the cylinder, and that is operationally connected, intermediate of the screw shaft first and second ends, to the cylinder second end; a screw shaft head affixed to the screw shaft first end, that in operation rotates relative to the cylinder, and that defines a screw shaft head outer diameter surface that faces the cylinder inner diameter surface with a slip fit therebetween; and a bearing ring affixed to the screw shaft head outer diameter surface, that is formed of polyether ether ketone (PEEK).

Actuator for aircraft

A method of manufacturing a connector for a fluid transfer conduit comprises: manufacturing a tube which runs parallel to a central axis C from fibre-reinforced polymer, said tube comprising a hub portionand a flange-forming portionlocated adjacent to the hub portion, wherein the hub portioncomprises continuous circumferentially oriented fibre-reinforcement; and the hub portionand the flange-forming portioncomprise longitudinally oriented fibre-reinforcementwhich runs continuously from the hub portioninto the flange-forming portion; and bending the flange-forming portionaway from the central axis C such that it extends from the hub portionat an angle to the central axis C.

A fibre-reinforced polymer composite shaft for transmitting loads along a central axis is provided. The composite shaft comprises a first interface surface extending along the central axis and comprising at least one helical groove and/or a plurality of circumferential grooves for engaging with at least one corresponding helical ridge and/or a plurality of corresponding circumferential ridges of a second interface surface of an end fitting. The at least one helical groove and/or the plurality of circumferential grooves comprises at least one flank with a flank angle of between 32° and 51°. In such an assembly, a preload structure is arranged to provide a radial biasing force to bias the first interference surface against the second interference surface.

Impact shield for shaft assembly

An apparatus for applying a liquid matrix to a fiber tow includes a belt press arranged to receive the fiber tow and compress it between two moving belts and a matrix application roller arranged to receive liquid matrix and transfer it to the fiber. The apparatus also includes a second matrix application component arranged adjacent to the matrix application roller so as to form a first gap between the component and the matrix application roller. The matrix application roller is positioned adjacent to the belt press so as to form a second gap between the matrix application roller and a belt of the belt press; and wherein the second gap is larger than the first gap.

Fibre coating apparatus

A fiber reinforced polymer composite pipe includes first and second ends and defines a central axis running in a longitudinal direction from the first end to the second end, and the pipe including at least one non-linear portion along the central axis between the first end and the second end. A first material extends continuously from the first end to the second end, the first material being a fiber reinforced polymer material comprising fiber reinforcement in a polymer matrix and having an electrical resistivity determined by an electrically conductive fiber reinforcement and/or an electrically conductive additive in the polymer matrix; and a second material arranged at the at least one non-linear portion and extending discontinuously between the first end and the second end, and has an elastic modulus greater than the elastic modulus of the first material in the longitudinal direction.

Fibre reinforced polymer composite pipes

A method of manufacturing a composite connector for a fluid transfer conduit is provided which comprises applying continuous fibre reinforcement, oriented at least partially circumferentially and pre-impregnated with a thermoplastic polymer to a tubular mould portion which extends substantially parallel to a central axis C; applying at least one further mould portion to form a complete mould in which the continuous fibre reinforcement is enclosed and injecting a thermoplastic polymer into the mould to form a connector with a tubular hub portion and a flange portion which extends from the hub portion at an angle to the central axis C. The tubular hub portion comprises a tubular seal section with an inner layer and an outer wherein the inner layer comprises the continuous fibre reinforcement and the outer layer comprises the injected thermoplastic polymer.

Growing community of inventors

Brackley, United Kingdom

James William Bernard