Patents Assigned to GKN Aerospace Services Limited
-
Patent number: 11845560Abstract: In manufacturing an electrothermal heater mat, there is provided a preform which comprises a laminated stack of dielectric layers which are made of thermoplastic material and include a central layer or group of layers which include(s) reinforcement and first and second outer groups of layers which do not include reinforcement. The preform includes a heater element and the preform has a first configuration. The preform is then heated to a temperature (e.g. 180° C.) between the glass-transition temperature of the thermoplastic material and the melting point of the thermoplastic material, and the heated preform is formed into a second configuration which is different to the first configuration so as to produce the heater mat.Type: GrantFiled: August 26, 2022Date of Patent: December 19, 2023Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventor: Stephen Goodfellow-Jones
-
Patent number: 11820501Abstract: A rib can be manufactured comprising two opposing outer skins and a plurality of internal reinforcement members connecting the skins together.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2018Date of Patent: November 21, 2023Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventor: Daniel Graham
-
Patent number: 11712879Abstract: In a method of manufacturing an electrothermal heater mat, a heater element is deposited on a first one of the dielectric layers of the heater mat by using a laser blown powder process.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2018Date of Patent: August 1, 2023Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventor: Nolan Richmond
-
Patent number: 11524325Abstract: A method of forming a component by applying a forming load to a blank of material against a mandrel, wherein the mandrel defines the shape of the component to be formed and applying a forming load as a combination of a localised force and localised friction heating.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2018Date of Patent: December 13, 2022Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventor: Daniel Graham
-
Patent number: 11472134Abstract: In manufacturing an electrothermal heater mat, there is provided a preform which comprises a laminated stack of dielectric layers which are made of thermoplastic material and include a central layer or group of layers which include(s) reinforcement and first and second outer groups of layers which do not include reinforcement. The preform includes a heater element and the preform has a first configuration. The preform is then heated to a temperature (e.g. 180° C.) between the glass-transition temperature of the thermoplastic material and the melting point of the thermoplastic material, and the heated preform is formed into a second configuration which is different to the first configuration so as to produce the heater mat.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2018Date of Patent: October 18, 2022Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventor: Stephen Goodfellow-Jones
-
Patent number: 11431121Abstract: An electrical coupling for aerospace applications comprises an interposer arranged in use to electrically connect an electrical connector to an electrical circuit, the electrical connector comprising a plurality of electrical contacts and the electrical circuit comprising a plurality of electrical conductors. The interposer comprises a body arranged to surround each electrical contact within the connector.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 2019Date of Patent: August 30, 2022Assignees: GKN Aerospace Services Limited, Fokker Aerostructures BVInventors: Jasper Van Nierop, Louk Barents, Erik Groen, Ashley Brooks, Stephen Goodfellow-Jones
-
Patent number: 11338933Abstract: A noise attenuation panel comprises a sound absorbing honeycomb layer disposed between a perforated surface layer on an airflow facing side of the panel and a composite support layer on a second opposing side of said panel. The composite material support layer comprises an electrical heat source.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2017Date of Patent: May 24, 2022Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventors: Ashley Brooks, Ian Stott
-
Patent number: 11174044Abstract: An ice accretion apparatus comprises a column having a longitudinal axis, a side wall, and a central chamber having top and bottom ends. It also comprises a top unit which closes the top end of the chamber and includes a droplet discharge device for producing water droplets, a bottom unit which closes the bottom end of the chamber and includes a target, and chamber cooling means configured to cool the chamber during a test and thereby to cool the water droplets, whereby, in use during the test, a layer of accreted ice is built up on the target.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2017Date of Patent: November 16, 2021Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventors: Steven Mark Houghton, Susanna Halls
-
Patent number: 11009437Abstract: Ice test devices include an ice adhesion test device. The ice adhesion test device comprises an ice adhesion test target in the form of a well in which, in use, a layer of accreted ice is built up. The target comprises a sample plate at the bottom of the well and an ice-engagement element positioned circumferentially around the sample plate and providing a side wall of the well, and wherein the sample plate is rotatable relative to the ice-engagement element. The ice adhesion test device also comprises torque means for applying a rotational torque between the sample plate and the ice-engagement element. The ice adhesion test device also comprises transducer means for, at least at a point at which the layer of accreted ice separates from the sample plate, measuring the rotational torque and/or the stress on the ice.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2017Date of Patent: May 18, 2021Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventors: Steven Mark Houghton, Susanna Halls
-
Publication number: 20210129998Abstract: An ice removal apparatus for an aircraft is provided comprising a laminate structure encapsulating an electrically operable heater. The laminate structure comprises a plurality of layers and at least two layers are configured to be selectively movable relative to each other to increase the separation of the two layers, thereby removing ice.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 29, 2019Publication date: May 6, 2021Applicant: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventors: Stephen GOODFELLOW-JONES, Ashley BROOKS
-
Patent number: 10252806Abstract: An electrothermal heater mat (3) is provided for an ice protection system for an aircraft (1) or the like. The heater mat (3) is a laminated heater mat and comprises dielectric layers (50-58), a heater element (501) and a conductive ground plane (71-74) for detecting a fault with the heater element (501). The dielectric layers (50-58) are made of thermoplastic material, and the ground plane (71-74) is formed by spraying metal such as copper onto the thermoplastic material of one of the dielectric layers.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2011Date of Patent: April 9, 2019Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventors: Stuart Martin Lewis, Nicholas John Winter
-
Patent number: 10232949Abstract: An ice-protection system has first and second zones of a leading edge of an aerodynamic or streamlined aerodynamic component, each zone having a de-icing apparatus and an ice-detection sensor positioned behind an elongated convex window as to be aero-conformal with the leading edge. The ice-detection sensor is in the form of a module and has a sensor head having a front face and abutments at ends of the window. The ice-detection sensors may have a central light emitter and a plurality of sensor elements peripheral to the light emitter. The ice-protection system also has a control system responsive to the ice-detection sensors to control the respective de-icing apparatus, and may activate automatically a sequence of operation.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2014Date of Patent: March 19, 2019Assignee: GKN Aerospace services LimitedInventors: Peter English, Thomas Stephen Rowe Richards, David John Armstrong
-
Patent number: 9682764Abstract: An isolation layer is arranged between two adjacent upright portions of a T-section stiffener, which is arranged on and bonded to a surface.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 2013Date of Patent: June 20, 2017Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventors: Gavin Lunney, Alan McMillan
-
Patent number: 9517613Abstract: Method forming a composite structure (9) comprising a main body and a flange. The composite structure is manufactured by laying-up a preform (7) on a mold (6). The preform (7) does not have the first and second bends and comprises a first part which corresponds to the main body of the composite structure and a second part which corresponds to the flange of the composite structure. The second part of the (preform (7) has a proximal portion which corresponds to the wall portion of the flange and a distal portion which corresponds to the lip portion of the flange. The preform (7) comprises a plurality of plies and uni-directional ply material extends from the first part of the preform (7) to the distal portion of the second part of the preform (7).Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2011Date of Patent: December 13, 2016Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventors: Jonathan Paul Moram, Giovanni Antonio Marengo, David James Maclean, Ben Ralfs, Gary Wiles, Marcus Jason Gawn
-
Patent number: 9333710Abstract: A method of forming a composite component in which the component comprises a series of sub-layers and in which the sub-layers are offset with respect to one or all of the other sub-layers forming the composite component.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2011Date of Patent: May 10, 2016Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventors: Marcus Gawn, Paul Anderson, Giovanni Marengo
-
Patent number: 9296189Abstract: An example of a composite structure is a containment case 2 for a gas turbine engine 1 which comprises an annular housing 3 and an annular flange 4 which is integral with and is positioned at an end of the housing 3. The housing 3 comprises composite material which includes tape 9 laid in the circumferential direction of the housing. The flange 4 comprises composite material which includes tape 8 laid at an oblique angle to the circumferential direction of the flange 4 and/or tape 7 laid at a perpendicular angle to the circumferential direction. The flange 4 does not include tape 9 laid in the circumferential direction of the flange, because such tape would impede the forming of the flange material to form the flange.Type: GrantFiled: October 11, 2011Date of Patent: March 29, 2016Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventors: Benjamin Ralfs, John Moram
-
Patent number: 9273631Abstract: The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a composite acoustic panel employed in an inlet passage of a gas turbine engine (1). The acoustic panel comprises a permeable face-layer (8), an impermeable backing sheet (9) and a sound absorbing layer (10) disposed therebetween. The method comprises a double polymerisation process for the face-layer and the remainder of the acoustic panel and finally a perforation step to perforate the face-layer according to a pre-determined perforation distribution (11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5).Type: GrantFiled: March 1, 2011Date of Patent: March 1, 2016Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventor: Armando Vavalle
-
Patent number: 9259864Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for producing a part comprising at least one layer of fiber-reinforced composite material. Said method encompasses at least the following steps: a) the at least one layer of polymerizable fiber-reinforced composite material is arranged in a shape that has a base and a plurality of elevations; b) at least one mold is placed so as to be in contact with at least one elevation, said mold having a microwave-sensitive material at least on one contact surface towards the at least one elevation; c) the at least one elevation is polymerized by irradiating the at least one mold with microwaves. The mold used has a stable three-dimensional shape and has a contact surface for the part. At least the contact surface is made of microwave-sensitive material.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2009Date of Patent: February 16, 2016Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventor: Thomas Mathias Herkner
-
Patent number: D929303Type: GrantFiled: January 14, 2020Date of Patent: August 31, 2021Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventor: Arent-Jan deGraaff
-
Patent number: D969055Type: GrantFiled: July 28, 2021Date of Patent: November 8, 2022Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventor: Arent-Jan deGraaff