CTG was first to market with composite shafts and fuel pipes. No composite manufacturer has been able to replicate CTG's success; high volume production, high quality with high customer satisfaction. The NGT WPs are the natural evolution to enable CTG to develop new manufacturing techniques to enable higher volume and lower cost manufacture in the UK, vital to secure work on new aircraft programmes. This includes the development of future state shafts which are lighter and more cost efficient than anything in the market place. CTG together with partners, will continue to lead the next generation of transmission shafts technology.

Alternative fuels such as hydrogen (H2) are seen as playing a central role in a zero-emission future for aviation, but the level of penetration for H2 will depend heavily on scientific and technological breakthroughs to overcome the challenges posed by H2 powered aircraft. The safe and efficient storage of H2 on-board future aircraft is the essential enabler of H2 technologies and will be one of the most complex aerospace engineering challenges that the industry has ever faced. Improvements to existing state-of-the-art solutions includes a better utilization of the available space for fuel storage, adequate insulation techniques to minimize heat leak, continued safe operations, and a weight reduction through low-weight materials, such as thermoset or thermoplastic composites, all while addressing those materials’ inherent challenges (permeability, microcracking, thermal fatigue). COCOLIH2T consortium led by Collins Aerospace is proposing a disruptive concept focused on reducing the impact of the tank’s weight and volume within an aircraft, while ensuring system safety. COCOLIH2T will not only develop a safe composite and vacuum insulated LH2 tank for the aviation sector but has the ambition to go beyond by designing and manufacturing a conformal tank through novel fabrication technologies enabling a reduction of more than 60% in production energy consumption, at least 50% in production time leading to significantly lower manufacturing costs. Additionally, the proposed structure of the tank, based on a multi-material thermoplastic composite concept, is intended to facilitate aircraft structural integration to support overall system weight reduction compared with conventional tank configurations. The key challenge that COCOLIH2T will tackle is the generation of a feasible and affordable design of a conformal variable section box-shape tank while minimizing the boil-off leakages wherever possible. COCOLIH2T’s overall system will be demonstrated at TRL4 by 2025.

This project seeks to develop innovative composite circumferential components to increase the competitiveness of UK aerospace manufacturing in the international market. It supports the green initiatives of the global aerospace sector of weight reduction and lowering carbon emissions. The project is split into 8 work packages to be completed over a 4 year period and will look to deliver product innovation with complex pipes, flexible integrated transmission shafts, and braided pressure vessels. This will be enabled by significant material, process, and technology innovation in tailored resin systems, advanced braiding, and ballscrew press Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) utilising novel extractable mandrels.

To develop and embed expertise in advanced composite fabrication, testing and characterisation, enablling optimisation of the product design and performance of composite tubes, that supports its main product offerings of fuel pipes, transmission shafts and actuation struts for the aerospace industry.

UTC Aerospace Systems is a leader in the provision of advanced systems to the aerospace market and is delighted to have been included in this investment. The funding opportunity will allow the company to develop new technology for advanced engine and nacelle systems to support future aircraft programmes which directly benefit the UK. The investment will allow UK based engineers to be directly employed working on this important R&D programme. It also links UK industry with other UK based research partners. The lessons learnt will be transferred to other areas of the UTC Aerospace systems global market business.

UTC Aerospace Systems is a leader in the design and manufacture of advanced composite products is delighted to have been included in this investment. The funding opportunity will enable the company to set up advanced production lines to produce high volume, low cost aerospace composite products; specifically fuel pipes via the development and establishment of robust, automated and repeatable processes. The investment will enable UTC Aerospace Systems to retain its design and manufacturing facilities in the UK, securing jobs for the long term and establishing itself as a Composite Centre of Excellence adding to the national capability in the UK. The lessons learned and processes developed will be transferable to other areas of UTC Aerospace Systems global market business; which includes aerospace transmission shafts, prop-shafts for high performance automotive OEMs and flywheels for clean energy generation businesses. UTC Aerospace Systems designs, manufactures and services integrated systems and components for the aerospace and defence industries. UTC Aerospace Systems supports a global customer base with significant worldwide manufacturing and customer service facilities. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries.

The objective of this project is to develop a novel, low cost, high pressure (350-700bar) gaseous hydrogen storage vessel for the automotive and industrial markets. This tank aims to offer significantly improved fatigue performance than current solutions with the added benefit of being fully recyclable at the end of life. This step change in performance will be achieved by the development of monolithic thermoplastic composite pressure tanks. The project will research and develop new formulations of low cost engineering thermoplastic polymers and co-polymers that have excellent hydrogen barrier properties, are low density (resulting in a lighter weight structure) and are inherently recyclable so the product can be broken down and re-used at the end of its service. Working prototypes will be built and tested to: a) determine the enhanced durability capabilities of the monolithic vessel; b) test the prototype to current hydrogen storage standards; c) conduct a comprehensive life cycle and techno-economic analysis.

Kinergy delivers a hybridisation system with potential for 30% fuel/C02 saving at an on-cost of below £1000, which will strongly accelerate the mass-market uptake of hybrid vehicles. The program deploys technologies in which the UK has leadership, based on a first generation derived from motorsport. First generation flywheel-hybrids suffer from risks and issues associated wilh the vacuum seal on the high Speed flywheel shaft, and need expensive and energy-consuming vacuum equipment as a result. The Kinergy concept eliminates this problem by replacing the driveshaft and seal wilh a hermetically sealed vacuum chamber and magnetic coupling to transmit drive. This solution reduces engineering costs and operating costs, and has generated great interest globally in road transport and other sectors. Enabled by the hermetic concept, the project develops innovation in key subsystem technologies in the areas of flywheel design, bearings, magnetic couplings / gearing and power transmission, wilh the objectives of cost reduction, manufacturing compatibility and ultra-high efficiency. These innovations will be realised in integrated units with magnetic/mechanical and electromagnelic outputs through a comprehensive program of rig research. Further validation is delivered in one vehicle plus case studies for four further key applications. The program will be delivered by a consortium of the UK's strongest players at component and system level, who have proven track records in their areas of expertise