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Research at Portsmouth has significantly improved the understanding of damage tolerance under creep-fatigue-oxidation conditions experienced in aero-engine components. The understanding has been developed through research on a new-generation disc materials including U720Li and RR1000, which have since been used in Rolls-Royce engines including Trent 900 in Airbus A380, Trent 1000 in Boeing 787 and the latest Trent for Airbus A350 XWB. These new materials have enabled aircraft to operate more efficiently at higher temperatures, with a major impact on CO2 emission and a significant impact on economy due to the new market opportunities and the reduction of operating costs.
We have optimised aerospace structural designs and assessment methods through development and application of hybrid residual stress characterisation techniques. Our research results on bonded crack retarders have redirected industry development programmes on hybrid metal laminate material systems and been used to evaluate reinforced structural concepts for US Air Force wing and fuselage applications. Methods to assess and mitigate maintenance-induced damage have been developed and implemented based on our research. Our contour measurement technology has been transferred to the US Air Force, which now has the capability to perform measurements in-house and support work with both NASA and the US Navy.
Flight safety has been a major focus in the past sixteen years at the Civil Safety and Security Unit (CSSU), affiliated with the University of Leicester's School of Management. The knowledge created has had three impacts. First, the development of a tailored fatigue-risk management system (FRMS) now in operation in a night-freight airline. FRMS provides for the development and validation of rosters that optimise crews' economic and safety performance, saving lives and money. Until this research no UK-registered night-freight airline had operated a FRMS. Second, the research underpins the evidence-base for the British Air Line Pilots' Association (BALPA) in its lobbying of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Third, the research is supporting the Society for the Welfare of Indian Pilots (SWIP) in its campaign for safe flight-time limitations (FTLs).
Research carried out by Cardiff University on the causes of maritime fatigue was instrumental in increasing understanding of contributing factors such as long working hours, and the inadequacy of current reporting systems. Because 90% of goods are transported by sea, fatigue influences at the individual and community level, as well as resulting in significant financial penalties for companies when accidents occur. Cardiff research has led to significant changes across industry and government in (a) personal awareness/management, such as improved safety training and (b) new international legislation and company policy aimed at reducing fatigue and improving health and safety at sea.
Quality of life for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has improved, responding to their stated major priority for help with fatigue. Their self-management of fatigue has improved using our cognitive-behavioural therapy intervention. Over 30,000 patients and healthcare professionals a year request our resulting self-management booklet, distributed via Arthritis Research UK.
This group's research spearheaded a new international patient/professional consensus that fatigue must be measured in all clinical trials. Along with the Bristol RA Fatigue scales, which we developed (translated into 35 languages) this has helped to place fatigue at the centre of drug development by changing the way the pharmaceutical industry performs multi-national drug trials.
Nursing management has now improved demonstrably. Fatigue evaluation and intervention have now been recommended in national guidelines.
Wide Chord Fan Blades provide a key competitive advantage for Rolls-Royce's £8.6bn aero-engine business employing 1500 staff. In service, blades experience massive loads and high-frequency vibration, creating the potential for failure. In response to blade-off events on the Trent™ 800 engine, Rolls-Royce (RR) urgently needed a means of inhibiting fatigue crack growth, and selected laser shock peening (LSP). Research in the UoA, elucidating the mechanism and outcomes of LSP, provided critical scientific underpinning for its introduction into the production process for the Trent™ 800 and, subsequently, other engines. Further the UoA now provides manufacturing process QA. Orders for the new Trent™ XWB engine, relying on LSP, exceed £60bn, with partners The Metal Improvement Company establishing dedicated LSP treatment facilities for RR in the UK (with 30 employees) and Singapore.
The impact of this research has been evident in a change of practice regarding the consideration of fatigue in musculoskeletal profiling, and as an aetiological risk factor for injury. This change in practice is evidenced across a range of user groups, influencing evidence-based practice in both the clinical and sporting context. The body of research has generated a shift in the consideration of fatigue with regards sporting injury incidence. Postgraduate teaching has evolved to consider injury prevention strategies in relation to fatigue, and Governing Body injury audits have cited this research in working toward injury prevention policies.
Research in materials characterisation at Swansea University has produced a deeper understanding of the mechanical behaviour of proprietary engine components, and the potential improvements that can be made. The research has provided a critical technological contribution to the manufacture of efficient and robust gas turbine engines, fundamentally supporting the declaration of safe working lives for critical rotating components, contributing to a significant reduction in specific fuel consumption, and enabling Rolls-Royce to maintain a 40% share of the global civil aviation market. The research has led to the creation of a profitable spin-out company (Swansea Materials Research & Testing Ltd - SMaRT) with an initial annual turnover of £1m.
Seafarer fatigue is a major issue for the safety and economics of shipping and the protection of the marine environment. Estimates suggest that 25% of marine casualties are caused by fatigue.
Project HORIZON demonstrated that sleepiness levels for some watch-keeping regimes are high, and actual sleep can occur. The main outcome of the project was a fatigue prediction model for use by voyage planners to ease workloads on ships' crews.
The introduction of such fatigue risk mitigation measures will potentially save lives, have an impact on the competitive success of global shipping companies, and bring significant economic and environmental benefit.