GKN Aerospace discusses directions in composites, metallics and niche technologies for the decade to 2020
-Developments will bring about a significant change in airframe and aero-engine design and manufacture.

At Farnborough International today, Monday 19th July, 2010, Rich Oldfield, Director of Technology at GKN Aerospace discussed developments across the company's areas of expertise, examining how the Company expects these to evolve in the coming decade.

Discussing composites, Oldfield covered research programmes that are expected to impact airframe design and revolutionise composite manufacture enabling high performance structures to be produced at higher speed and lower cost. He examined the issues that are critical for the next generation of airframe structures including composite damage protection and evolving repair techniques. He described the move to apply this aerostructures expertise to the aero-engine and the current joint venture activity with Rolls-Royce. Oldfield finished by discussing the Composites Grand Challenge in which GKN Aerospace leads 22 major industrial partners through the recently launched UK National Composites Centre jn a programme aimed at progressing a wide range of technologies for composite production.

The metallics presentation from Oldfield described the Company's research work with materials such as advanced aluminium and titanium alloys. He discussed the potential of developments in metal manufacture - including the use of robotics, new cutting and joining processes and machining developments - that, over the next decade, could cut material consumption by as much as 50% whilst improving the speed, capacity and quality of the manufacture of complex aero-engine structures.

The examination of niche technologies explored three distinct strands of activity: ice protection, coatings and acoustics - all areas of development being driven by ACARE performance targets for aviation that specify major reductions in emissions, noise and CO2 by 2020.

Oldfield described ice protection research activity underway that explores the potential of fibre optics, improved electro thermal techniques and ice detection technologies. He described some of the novel technologies being examined that address the needs of the low power and laminar flow wing. Discussing coatings, Oldfield examined structural coating research across areas such as ice phobic performance, lightning resistance and damage detection as well as dimmable and conductive coating developments for transparencies. On noise reduction Oldfield focused on acoustic liner developments and engineering and manufacturing technologies that are helping move the aero-engine towards the 50% noise reduction target defined by ACARE.

Oldfield concluded:
"At GKN Aerospace we are driving technology forward across all our areas of expertise to ensure we can contribute to meeting market performance needs and international environmental targets for aviation in future decades. Technological and manufacturing developments already underway are taking us into a period of significant change in the way we design and manufacture aircraft - and this will lead to a new generation of airframes and aero-engines that are quicker to manufacture and repair, far more efficient and much more environmentally clean to operate."