The aerodynamic design of aircraft surfaces is subject to many constraints and is refined interactively during the design cycle. One of the constraints is the manufacturing tolerance at joints, surface roughness/waviness and gaps. During the design phase acceptable tolerances are set by the aerodynamic department to minimize their effect on performance and fuel burn. The current methods only estimate the excrescence drag and are based on the interpretation of results from surface discountinities placed in a zero pressure gradient. Therefore these methods do not consider effects on lift and pitching moment. This project will develop and validate rapid CFD-based tools that capture these effects over a wide range of surface shapes and flow conditions, and consequently more accurate data sheet methods. These methods will enable the designer to trade surface-finish requirements between performance benefits and manufacturing costs and thus reduce total-ownership costs. In addition the results from this project will be tailored to provide information to operators to assist in their maintainance in order to minimise the increase in fuel burn due to ageing aircraft.

Improving the efficiency of future transport systems is a significant aspect of the UK’s strategy towards sustained economic growth. This not only requires innovation in the areas of aircraft design and manufacture, but also a focus on means of improving the efficiency of processes for aircraft maintenance and operations. The overall project objective is to develop a high performance, robust instrumentation system capable of operating in the challenging and harsh environment of a helicopter rotor hub, which will provide the capability to monitor the health of the rotor blades. This will have a major impact on flight safety, operations and maintenance and contribute towards reductions in point-to-point travel time (one of the ACARE2020 goals). The activities within the project will be focusing on (a) the development of a fibre-optic instrumentation for direct deformation measurement,(b) transfer of data between the rotating rotor hub and the airframe and,(c) incorporation within a health monitoring solution.Moreover, an investigation of all potential avenues of exploiting such a technology within the rotorcraft industry will be conducted to maximise the impact of the findings of this project.

A proof of market study is to be performed to assess the market potential for an innovative water-hydraulic Directional Control Valve (wDCV) for power transmission and motion control that combines the advantages (and avoids the disadvantages) of both oil-hydraulic and pneumatic valves. The study will help understand the current challenges in markets and in particular those where the energy savings resulting from water hydraulics make a significant impact on the total cost of ownership of power transmission systems in production lines. The study aims to identify opportunities for the wDCV product/service so that a route to market can be identified to address the most immediate demands with the maximum chance of market impact and penetration. The study also expects to identify supply chain partners and early adopter end-users that can help both develop with the product development, integration and exploitation.

Abrasive waterjet cutting and fire suppression systems are a potent tool for the modern fire service. For certain fires types - difficult to tackle using traditional water or foam techniques - they can offer astonishingly rapid effects while simultaneously protecting firefighters from significant hazards and minimising property & building damage. BHR is a leading innovator in the area of abrasive water jet cutting & fire suppression systems; technology developed by BHR is in service via technology licensing agreements in over 500 systems worldwide. Current systems are large. In Fire & Rescue Service applications they are generally integrated into fire appliances, requiring substantial structural & bodywork modification. This increases costs (actual, maintenance and downtime) and limits flexibility. Fire & Rescue Services in the UK are under considerable pressure to cut costs and improve safety. Novel technologies are a key means for achieving these goals. BHR proposes to develop CoolFire, a modular ultrahigh pressure abrasive cutting and fire suppression system with a number of unique advantages: Low cost, rapid installation; Low initial and through life costs; Easy, clean & safe abrasive handling; High reliability; BHR seeks funding to develop, test and demonstrate a prototype CoolFire system.