Abstract: Reinforcement preform of knitted fibers for a carbon or the like component such as an airfoil guide vane. A junction between adjacent sections of the finished article of the preform is formed with a buttonhole. In assembly, the reinforcement for one of the sections is passed through the buttonhole. In this way stresses can be better transmitted to a base section with reduced risk of tearing or delamination.

Abstract: A cooling air pick up for use in a gas turbine engine includes a cooling air duct incorporating a diffuser to maximize the cooling air pressure. The entry orifice of the pick up duct is formed in the leading edge of a flow vane in the interior of a flow passage downstream of the engine compressor section.

Abstract: A variable area nozzle 20 comprising spaced fixed inner and outer walls (21,22 respectively) downstream of which is provided a pivotal visor 24, a translatable shroud 31 and an intermediate wall 27 which extends at least partly across the gap between the visor 24 and shroud 31. The leading edge of the wall 27 is constrained by trackways 28 move along a path adjacent the arc of movement of the visor and the wall 27 is constrained either by the pressure in the nozzle or by means on the shroud 31 to contact the shroud 31 at a downstream region of the wall 27. The visor 24 is rotated about its pivot to vary the cross-sectional area of the nozzle and the geometry of the nozzle is defined by the relative positions of the visor 24 and wall 27. The attitude of the wall 27 is varied by moving the shroud 31 and by moving the leading edge of the wall 27 along the trackways 28.

Abstract: A fuel vaporizer is formed from two concentric tubes. A mixture of fuel and air having a high proportion of fuel passes along the annular space between the two tubes while air alone passes along the inner tube.

Abstract: A failure tolerant engine mounting is formed by three links between the engine and its support structure, one of the links being arranged so that in the event of failure of either of the other links it will form a connection between three points on the engine and supporting structure which are symmetrically arranged about a vertical axis through the engines center of gravity.

Abstract: A rotor assembly for use in a rotodynamic machine comprises a rotor disc (10) with a plurality of blades (14) attached to its outer rim (12) and a seal plate (22) for substantially preventing the escape of blade cooling air. The rotor disc (10) is provided with a plurality of hooked restraining members (30) each including a radially inward directed abutment face (32) which in use restrain the seal plate from moving axially and from moving radially outward under centrifugal force by abutment with the seal plate. In this way the blades (14) are not subjected to additional loading by the seal plate (22).

Abstract: A dovetail type circumferential slot fixing for retaining blades of a bladed rotor assembly of a turbomachine which requires no additional loading slot. The shape and dimensions of the dovetail roots of the blades and the dovetail blade-retaining slot are such as to allow the blades to be loaded by introducing a flank of each root dovetail into the slot and rolling the blades in an axial direction. The blades are held outwards against radially inward facing faces of the blade-retaining slot by a support means which may be a detachable plate, flange member or nose bullet that engages the blade platforms.

Abstract: An arrangement for effecting a seal between components 10,12 that rotate together and between which relative radial movement is tolerated while maintaining the seal. A conical, or Belleville, sealing ring 25 is located between the components 10,12 and means 19,22 are provided for clamping the components 10,12 together. The sealing ring 25 is so shaped and dimensioned that, in use, centrifugal forces acting on the ring 25 impart a turning moment to the ring 25 to cause it to twist and effect a seal with each of the components 10,12.

Abstract: A twin-engined VTOL/STOL aircraft comprising a rearwardly bifurcated fuselage 10 is proposed which in the event of failure of one engine 20 will allow the other engine 20 to produce a thrust which is not assymetric relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The fuselage 10 comprises a central front nose portion 11 and two side mounted engine nacelles 13, 14 which extend rearwardly to define spaced tail booms 15, 16. The engines 20 are preferably by-pass gas turbine engines in which the turbine exhaust gases are discharged through one or more nozzles 28 to the rear of the nose portion 11 between the tail booms 15, 16 on the center-line of the aircraft. The by-pass air is discharged through one or more nozzles 27 adjacent the longitudinal center-line of the aircraft. The nozzles 27, 28 are either swivellable, or other devices 34, are provided to vary the direction of thrust from the nozzles.

Abstract: A turbine disc for a bladed rotor assembly includes a rim, a plurality of generally axially extending slots in the rim adapted to receive the roots of rotor blades, the radially innermost surfaces of all of said slots lying at a first radius, a continuous circumferential flange projecting axially from the rim of the disc on at least one side face thereof, said flange providing a continuous circumferentially extending surface at a radius less than said first radius and being connected to the disc at a radius greater than said first radius, and a continuous circumferentially extending cooling air channel open towards the radially inner side of the flange, and extending radially outwardly between the flange and the side face of the disc to an extent sufficient to intersect the bottom and a portion of at least one of the flanks of each of the blade root-receiving slots.