A £20 million project to develop lightweight propeller blades that will help the UK aviation sector to reduce its carbon footprint (and noise at airports) is being carried out by composite researchers at the University of Sheffield
Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), as part of an industry-led consortium with two other members of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVMC).
Along with the National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry, the AMRC is helping private-sector partner Dowty Propellers (part of GE Aviation Systems) with the Innovate UK-funded Digital Propulsion project.
The consortium is tasked with growing the UK’s aerospace propeller manufacturing base by using composite technology plus industrial digitalisation to cut production costs and increase the performance of future propulsion systems.
Elaine Arnold, AMRC Composite Centre automation technical lead (
www.amrc.co.uk), said: “In a world of increasing passenger numbers, the demand for cleaner, cheaper and more-comfortable air travel has never been greater.
"The Digital Propulsion project aims to evolve technologies within a new digital infrastructure to realise innovations in propulsion performance and cost.
"Part of the role of AMRC is to explore novel and innovative ways to design and manufacture varying types of propeller blades, including the load-bearing structure, the cores, the blade roots and the hub connections.
"The other part is that the AMRC and the NCC are collaborating to form a new braid that fits these new shapes.
“Dowty has flown the flag for the British aerospace industry across the world for many years, and this project will ensure that it continues to do so.
“For the AMRC, the outputs of the programme will be a proven cost-effective route to manufacture composite blades — and a springboard for further R&D.”