Abstract: There is disclosed a fixing apparatus (10) for fixing a secondary component (14) to a fan blade, the fixing apparatus comprising: a first clamp part (16) comprising a first inner surface (20) and a second clamp part (18) comprising a second inner surface (22), the first inner surface and the second inner surface having a profile corresponding to a profile of a portion of the fan blade (102). The first clamp part and/or the second clamp part comprises a recess (24) in the respective first inner surface and/or second inner surface for receiving the secondary component, and a corresponding heater (28, 30) for applying heat to the secondary component located in the recess in use. The first clamp part and the second clamp part are configured to cooperate with one another to clamp the portion of a blade between them in a clamping operation and to hold the secondary component against the blade when the secondary component is received within the recess.

Abstract: An electrical power system includes: an electrical power source; power converter connected, at an input side, to the electrical power source and including first and second DC output terminals and a capacitor connected between the output terminals; a DC electrical network having first and second input terminals; a resistor; and switch arrangement including several switches. The switch arrangement has: a first configuration in which the resistor is connected in series between the first output terminal of the power converter and the first input terminal of the DC electrical network; a second configuration in which the first output terminal of the power converter is connected to the first input terminal of the DC electrical network bypassing the resistor; and a third configuration in which the resistor is connected in parallel across the capacitor. The electrical power system further includes a control system for controlling a configuration of the switch arrangement.

Abstract: A particle gripper including a flexible surface membrane connected to a resiliently deformable neck portion which has a cavity filled with a phase change material, and at least one air tube, the flexible surface membrane and the phase change material are configured to deform around an object to be gripped; and wherein the at least one air tube is used for inflating and/or creating a vacuum within the cavity such that the cavity can be inflated so that the phase change material is forced against the flexible surface membrane to expand the flexible surface membrane, and a transition means which is applied to the phase change material in the cavity so that it changes phase of the material from a liquid to a solid so that object is gripped by the flexible surface membrane and the phase transition material.

Abstract: A manufacturing method comprises: providing a woven fabric comprising a plurality of reinforcing fibre tows and a plurality of thermoplastic polymer yarns woven together; and moulding the woven fabric in a heated mould to form a preform for a composite component.

Abstract: A system for controlling a flexible device whilst inspecting or repairing a component includes a first sensor coupled to the flexible device that generates an information related to a current curvature of the first sensor and a controller including memories and processors. The processors receive, from the first sensor, information related to the current curvature of the first sensor, determine a predicted pose and a current shape of the first sensor, determine a current shape of the flexible device, and adjust the current shape of the flexible device.

Abstract: An aircraft gas turbine engine includes: an engine core including a compressor, combustor, turbine, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor; a fan including fan blades and arranged upstream of the engine core; turbomachinery bearings; a power gearbox to drive the fan at a lower rotation speed than the turbine; and a heat management system providing lubrication and cooling to the power gearbox and turbomachinery bearings, and including a pipe assembly adapted to provide a lubricant flow to the power gearbox and turbomachinery bearings to remove the heat generated by the power gearbox and turbomachinery bearings, at least one air-lubricant heat exchanger to dissipate a first amount of heat to a first heat sink, and at least one fuel-lubricant heat exchanger to dissipate a second amount of heat to a second heat sink, wherein the first heat sink is air and the second heat sink is fuel.

Abstract: A gas turbine engine including: a bypass duct, a compressor stage, a cooling duct and an ejector. The cooling duct has an inlet which opens into the bypass duct. The ejector extends continuously through the cooling duct along an extension direction. The ejector includes an aperture and an aerodynamic structure. The aperture is configured to discharge gas received from the compressor stage into the cooling duct. The aerodynamic structure is configured to generate a plurality of vortex pairs downstream of the aperture within a flow of gas conveyed through the cooling duct along a bulk flow direction.

Abstract: A method for scanning an object in scanning apparatus including: placing object into container which surrounds object, a volume of the container surrounding object including a supporting material that supports object in a fixed position relative to the container; disposing container on a support of scanning apparatus so that container is positioned between an imaging beam emitting element and an imaging beam receiving element disposed on opposite sides of the support, support configured to allow movement of container relative to the emitting and receiving elements to allow creation of a plurality of projections of object each taken at a different relative position; operating scanning apparatus at multiple relative positions to produce the plurality of projections; and: processing the projections to create an image of object. The method is wherein support is configured to allow the container to be rotated to any angular position within a spherical coordinate system.

Abstract: A system for controlling a continuum robot whilst inspecting or repairing a component includes a sensor that includes a Fibre Bragg grating sensor, is disposed in a helical arrangement and indicates a curvature of the sensor. The sensor further includes one or more sensing components embedded therein configured to generate information indicative of the current shape of the sensor at different portions of the sensor. The system further includes a controller configured to receive, from the sensor, the curvature of the sensor, determine a current shape of the sensor based at least on the curvature of the sensor, determine a current shape of the continuum robot based at least on the current shape of the sensor, and adjusting the current shape to a desired shape of the continuum robot.

Abstract: A method of generating a map of forces transmitted between a tool of a machining apparatus and a workpiece during a machining operation. The method comprises receiving a measured force signal representative of forces transmitted between a tool of an apparatus and a workpiece during the machining operation; determining a corrected force signal by applying a correction function to the measured force signal, the correction function at least partly removing effects of resonance of the apparatus from the measured force signal; obtaining a plurality of corrected force data points from the corrected force signal; and mapping the corrected force data points to a plurality of position data points, each position data point representative of a position of the tool relative to the workpiece during the machining operation.

Abstract: The application discloses a method of determining an overall fuel allocation for missions performed by at least one aircraft, supplied with fuel from a fuel source comprising an amount of a first fuel and an amount of a different second fuel. The method comprises: determining one or more utility values for each mission of the plurality of missions, wherein the or each utility value for each mission is based on the same one or more of a predicted contrail outcome and a predicted local air quality outcome; and determining the overall fuel allocation for the plurality of missions based on the or each utility value for each mission. Also disclosed is: a method of loading fuel onto one or more aircraft according to the overall fuel allocation; and a fuel allocation determination system.

Abstract: A method of determining an overall fuel allocation and a method of loading fuel onto one or more aircraft according to the overall fuel allocation; and a fuel allocation determination system for missions performed by at least one aircraft, supplied with fuel from a fuel source including an amount of a first fuel and of a different second fuel. The method includes: determining one or more utility values for each mission of the plurality of missions, wherein the or each utility value for each mission is based on the same one or more of a predicted contrail outcome and a predicted local air quality outcome; determining an ordering of the missions of the plurality of missions based on the or each utility value of each mission; and determining the overall fuel allocation for the plurality of missions based on the ordering of the missions.

Abstract: A gas turbine engine for an aircraft includes an engine core having a turbine, a compressor, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor. A fan is positioned upstream of the engine core and includes a plurality of fan blades. A gearbox is configured to receive rotational input from the core shaft and to drive the fan at a rotational speed lower than that of the core shaft, thereby defining a gear ratio between the core shaft and the fan. The gearbox has an overall gear mesh stiffness, and the core shaft has an effective linear torsional stiffness. The engine is configured such that a ratio of the overall gear mesh stiffness of the gearbox to the effective linear torsional stiffness of the core shaft is greater than or equal to 0.2.

Abstract: An engine system comprises a fuel system arranged to supply fuel to the combustor of a gas turbine engine. A fuel store stores the fuel as a cryogenic liquid and includes a primary pump arranged to pump the cryogenic liquid to a secondary pumping arrangement via a fuel outlet. The secondary pumping arrangement substantially increases the pressure of the cryogenic liquid to prevent boil off prior to delivery of thereof to a heating arrangement which vaporises the cryogenic liquid using waste heat from the gas turbine engine to produce fuel in the form of a supercritical fluid which is delivered to the combustor. The system allows fuels, such as hydrogen, methane and ammonia, to be efficiently stored, pumped, conditioned and delivered to the engine of the system.

Abstract: A method for scanning a plurality of components of similar design includes providing an imaging beam source, an imaging beam receiver, and a support platform. The method includes disposing the plurality of components on the support platform such that the plurality of components is positioned axi-symmetrically and spaced apart from each other by a first angular range (AR1). The method further includes collecting a first projection of at least one component of the plurality of components at the imaging beam receiver. The first projection includes a combination of a primary image (PI) of the at least one component and a scatter image (SI) of the at least one component. The method further includes collecting a second projection of the at least one component at the imaging beam receiver.

Abstract: A method of determining an overall fuel allocation for a plurality of missions carried out by at least one aircraft, the missions being supplied with fuel from a fuel source comprising amounts of a first fuel and a different second fuel, is disclosed. The method comprises obtaining an initial proposed fuel allocation for each mission; performing an overall optimisation in which the proposed fuel allocation of at least one mission is modified within the constraints of the total available first and second fuels from the fuel source to maximise an overall utility value over all missions, each mission being associated with a respective mission utility value for a given fuel allocation, the mission utility value being determined according to at least one of a predicted contrail outcome and a predicted local air quality outcome; and determining the overall fuel allocation for the plurality of missions based on the overall optimisation.

Abstract: A method of operating a hydraulic system of a hydrogen-fuelled engine, comprising: flowing a hydraulic liquid through a first flow path within a hydraulic liquid conduit, the hydraulic liquid comprising an unsaturated hydrocarbon; flowing the hydrogen fuel through a second flow path within a hydrogen fuel conduit in contact with the hydraulic liquid conduit towards the hydrogen-fuelled engine; measuring a physical property relating to a degree of hydrogenation of the hydraulic liquid; and determining a hydrogen leak from the first flow path to the second flow path from a change in the measured physical property.

Abstract: A gas turbine engine comprises an engine core comprising a turbine, a combustor, a compressor, and a core shaft. The engine comprises a fan upstream of the engine core to be driven by the core shaft. The engine comprises a nacelle surrounding the fan and the engine core and defining a bypass duct located radially outside of the engine core, where a bypass ratio, defined as the ratio of the mass flow rate of the flow through the bypass duct to the mass flow rate of the flow through the core at cruise conditions, is at least 4. The engine comprises a plurality of actuators including a variable compressor vane actuator. The engine comprises a fuel supply system arranged to supply fuel for combustion in the combustor, and to supply fuel to fueldraulically drive the variable compressor vane actuator. The fuel is thermally stable at temperatures exceeding 280° C.

Abstract: A method for scanning at least one component includes placing the at least one component inside a storage vessel; filling the storage vessel with a cryogenic material; cooling the at least one component; placing the storage vessel between an x-ray source and a detector of a CT scanner; generating, via the x-ray source, an x-ray cone beam after cooling of the component that passes through the storage vessel while the at least one component is disposed within the storage vessel; receiving the x-ray cone beam at the detector; and generating an x-ray image of the at least one component.

Abstract: A gas turbine includes an engine core with a turbine, a compressor, a combustor to combust a fuel, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor; a fan located upstream of the engine core; a fan shaft; a main gearbox that receives an input from the core shaft and outputs drive to the fan via the fan shaft; a primary oil loop system arranged to supply oil to lubricate the main gearbox; and a heat exchange system arranged to transfer heat between the oil and the fuel, the oil having an average temperature of at least 180° C. on entry to the heat exchange system at cruise conditions. A method of operating the turbine includes transferring heat from the oil to the fuel so as to lower the fuel viscosity to a value of less than or equal to 0.58 mm2/s on entry to the combustor at cruise conditions.