TWI Annual Review - July 2008

Achievements in 2007

  • Two successful aerospace industry panel meetings were held with some of the highest attendances to date. These are held during 'aerospace week' at TWI, co-ordinated with other aerospace related events.
  • A major IMechE conference on Advanced Aerospace Joining was held at TWI adjacent to the March aerospace industry panel meeting.
  • Continued growth of regional activities in Yorkshire and Wales with an aerospace bias in manufacturing and NDT.
  • Launch of a GSP on a new variation of friction stir welding with particular promise for the joining of titanium alloys.
  • TWI staff were invited to present at aerospace conferences in the UK, USA, Europe and India.
  • Successful exhibition stand at Aero Engine Expo in the UK.
  • Significant growth in Membership from the aerospace sector.

Future Plans

  • Aerospace industry panel meetings in March and September 2008.
  • Two-day joint TWI/EWI symposium on Aerospace Joining to be held in October 2008 at Airbus in Toulouse, France.
  • Continued presence at key industry conferences
  • TWI stand at Farnborough 2008
  • Increased engagement with supply chain and maintenance and repair organisations.

Case Study

Aerospace

NCN (National Composites Network) technical support has helped defence sector companies explore ways of improving the performance of small electric unmanned air vehicles (SEUAVs). One area that received particular attention was the effective use of the passive structural volume inherent with carbon fibre composite sandwich materials typically used in SEUAVs. The team developed ways of embedding, within the sandwich material, functional elements such as electronic systems and fuel cells, making the aircraft's structure multifunctional. Central to the work was the application of TWI know-how in the coating of composites. Treated areas included electrically conductive tracks for power systems; thermal barrier and reflective coatings for reduced infrared and radar signatures; and hard coatings for eliminating small, complex bearings.
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