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Optical fibre sensor technology developed at Cranfield has supported development and subsequent sales of state-of-the-art superconducting magnet systems made by Oxford Instruments. The sensors provide detailed information on the magnets' performance that is critical to successful and safe operation. The fibre sensors have been deployed in:
Cranfield's research contributed to a doubling of the engineering and design staff at Oxford Instruments and 20% increases in turnover and technical staff at an instrumentation company, AOS Technology.
Underpinned by research at the University of Nottingham, the development of automated discontinuous carbon fibre preforming (DCFP) technology has helped drive more than half a billion pounds in sales of Aston Martin's DBS sports car across 42 countries, boosting the company's brand worldwide. Recognising the potential of this process, Bentley Motors invested £1.3M directly to develop this technology for its next generation of models. The Royal Academy of Engineering acknowledged the body of research as an "outstanding" contribution to the reputation of British engineering through the award of a silver medal to Professor Warrior.
Lightweight engine components for cars, buses, trucks, vans, industrial engines and machines are now used by automotive manufacturers such as Volkswagen Brazil, Daewoo, Leyland Truck and Buses and Russia Machines. Our research work has been employed in a series of automotive components (engine oil pans of 1.2, 1.6, 1.8, 2.2. 4, 10 litres oil capacity) through various original equipment manufacturers, primarily Eaton and Cummins. Depending on the amount of integration, the materials cut 10-15% of the weight for a basic oil pan configuration and 40% of the integrated oil pan system.
The A350-XWB is the first Airbus airliner to have composite wings, thereby reducing structural weight compared with the current generation of metallic wings. With over 700 orders for the aircraft, the company has placed great emphasis on the need to maximise performance benefits whilst mitigating risk associated with manufacture of the all-new wing. The Bath Composites Research Unit has supplied underpinning research to:
(1) Develop an algorithm that has been used to design the composite wing skins for optimised performance;
(2) Analyse the laminate consolidation process for the wing spars.
The impact of (1) is a direct saving of 1.0 tonne of fuel per typical flight compared with current metallic skins. This represents a total fuel saving of around 40,000 tonnes, over the design life of each aircraft. The impact of (2) is the achievement of satisfactory part quality for current production rates of spars valued at £1M each when equipped.
Viewing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as very rigid polymer molecules led to research on turning them into useful materials. Strategic investments to develop different aspects of this research have been made by two separate companies. A process for the synthesis of CNTs was transferred to Thomas Swan Ltd who have made significant investment, and are now Europe's leading supplier of high-quality CNTs. In 2003 a process was invented to spin CNT fibres directly from a synthesis reactor. The process is intrinsically cheaper than the conventional process for carbon fibre and it produces a tougher and more versatile product. The University of Cambridge (UCAM) spin-out company Q-Flo Ltd (created in 2004 to achieve focus on transfer of this technology) and Plasan (multinational manufacturer of vehicle defensive armour) formed a joint venture in 2010 which has enabled the first-stage scale-up of manufacture.
Following the North Sea Piper Alpha oil rig accident in 1988 and subsequent Cullen inquiry, new and safer maintenance procedures were introduced. One of the most significant changes was the restriction in the use of welding repairs (hot work) in the maintenance of plant and pipework due to the risk of fire and explosion. Research at Newcastle provided a novel engineering model that formed the basis for implementation of a new repair technology. This used fibre reinforced polymer wraps to restore the integrity of pipes without `hot work' or any interruption of production, thus minimising operational costs and increasing worker safety. This new technology has now become industry standard with new ISO and ASME standards for pipeline repair established as mandatory standards in 2006 and 2008 respectively (ISO/TS 24817 — Composite repairs for pipework; and ASME PCC-2, Repair of pressure vessels and piping). The period 2008-2013 has seen considerable expansion, worldwide, of an industry offering materials and support services to enable composite repairs to be designed and carried out.
Ulster research groups in the fields of composites and metal forming have had a long-term and fruitful engagement with major industries such as Caterpillar (FG Wilson), Rolls Royce and Bombardier. Since 2008 this has resulted in new patented technologies, significant cost/performance improvement in manufacturing, the delivery of on-site industrial training, the formation of spin-out companies and the establishment of the £6m N. Ireland Advanced Composites and Engineering Centre with currently 10 member companies. In particular, Ulster research has been at the heart of patented Bombardier processes which underpinned their strategic entry into the commercial narrow body aircraft market which is worth $43billion per annum globally. The C Series wing programme, which utilises composites, employs 800 people directly in Belfast at full production, with a further 2,000 employed in the supply chain. As of today, Bombardier has global orders and commitments for 388 C Series aircraft, which include firm orders for 177 of the new airliner.
The EKG technology developed by Newcastle has launched an entirely new spectrum of applications for geosynthetic materials and has resulted in changing established practice in civil, construction and mining engineering. The commercialisation of the technology, linking industry to applications of EKG products and processes, has been driven by the spin-out company Electrokinetic Limited. Amey, a leading international infrastructure services provider, incorporated the EKG technology into £1M projects for Network Rail and the Highways Agency in 2011-12. The end results were a 30% cost saving and 40% reduction in CO2 compared to established methods. The new range of EKG products has been recognised by British Standards, leading to the revision of BS 8006 for reinforced soil in 2010.
Cranfield's research on Osteomics (the science of bones) & Biominerals (O&B) has improved the manufacture and performance of biomedical prostheses. The techniques developed have also resulted in a spin-out company and analytical techniques with broader application in forensic casework. Specifically, our research has resulted in:
(i) Improved biomedical prostheses where new coating techniques and new product quality assurance protocols and standards underpin coating processes in industry; worth several £M/year. These have been developed with, and are currently used by Biomet, an international medical device manufacturer.
(ii) The creation of a spin-out company, HALO X-ray Technologies, to exploit the technologies based on our novel X-ray analytical techniques.
(iii) Several new analytical methods for the discrimination of bone in forensic case work (used by Cellmark Forensic Services (CFS)).
Cranfield has improved modelling and simulation capability in the infrared and radio frequency regions of the electro-magnetic spectrum. This research has been exploited by Chemring in:
Cranfield's research has also contributed to a major new Chemring hardware product called the Centurion launcher, by informing the development of the software algorithms to control the launcher in operation.