Abstract: A suspension system for supporting a body relative to at least four points, including: a respective front left, front right, back left and back right support arrangement between the respective point and the body, each respective support arrangement including a respective resilience arrangement and a respective control ram, each respective control ram including a respective compression chamber forming at least part of a respective compression control volume; a control arrangement including a first and a second diagonal reversible pump for displacing fluid between diagonally opposite compression control volumes. Each respective resilience arrangement can include a respective damping arrangement to restrict and/or selectively prevent compression and/or expansion of at least a portion of the respective resilience arrangement. Each respective control ram can further include a respective rebound chamber, the front control rams being cross connected and the back control rams being cross connected.

Abstract: A suspension system for a vessel (1) having at least one left hull (11), at least one right hull (12) and a chassis portion (10), the suspension system including supports (20) for at least partially supporting the chassis portion relative to the left and right hulls, and a front left and back left damping ram (31, 33) connected between the chassis portion and longitudinally spaced points on the at least one left hull, a front right and back right damping ram (32, 34) connected between the chassis portion and longitudinally spaced points on the at least one right hull. The suspension system further includes a deck attitude control system (250) comprising a controller (252), sensors, and a respective actuator arrangement for each of at least two orthogonally spaced damper rams. The actuators control a position of at least one point on the chassis relative to at least one reference.

Abstract: A suspension system for supporting a body relative to at least four points, including: a respective front left, front right, back left and back right support arrangement between the respective point and the body, each respective support arrangement including a respective resilience arrangement and a respective control ram, each respective control ram including a respective compression chamber forming at least part of a respective compression control volume; a control arrangement including a first and a second diagonal reversible pump for displacing fluid between diagonally opposite compression control volumes. Each respective resilience arrangement can include a respective damping arrangement to restrict and/or selectively prevent compression and/or expansion of at least a portion of the respective resilience arrangement. Each respective control ram can further include a respective rebound chamber, the front control rams being cross connected and the back control rams being cross connected.

Abstract: A method of rehabilitating or remediating a structure comprises forming a sealed region (18) over or about a portion of the structure and drawing air from the region (18). A supply of a structural adhesive is placed in fluid communication with region (18) so that as air is drawn from the region (18) the adhesive flows into the region and fills discontinuities in the structure. Fiber reinforcement or other strengthening material is placed in the region (18) so that the adhesive also penetrates through the material to band the material to the structure.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus (2) for the forming or curing of a fibre-reinforced polymer composite material (10). The apparatus (2) comprises a first layer of material (4) positioned to overly the fibre-reinforced polymer (10); a second layer of material (6) positioned to overly the first layer (4) to define a chamber (8) therebetween. The apparatus (2) further comprises a vapour source (16) and a fluid communication path having; a transfer section (18) in fluid communication with the vapour source (16) and chamber (8), and, a return section (20) in fluid communication with the chamber (8) and the vapour source (16).