advanced material applications
GKN Aerospace has the capability to develop and produce advanced materials to meet the demands of uniquely demanding product such as Emergency Flotation Systems (EFS), fuel systems and precision seals and gaskets.
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emergency flotation systems
GKN Aerospace’s EFS technology is in use with a wide range of civil and military operators worldwide. The ability to provide complete system capability has been well recognised by many of the world’s leading OEMs such as Sikorksy where our systems are in use on the S-92 to offer enhanced safety levels for customers operating in extreme conditions such as the North Sea. The systems are also in operation in the harshest environments with customers such as AgustaWestland in the AW101 Merlin, SeaKing and Super Lynx. Products have also been selected for the latest programs such as Hindustan Aeronautics’ ALH. Complementing our ability to provide new installations, GKN Aerospace has worked closely with customers to provide upgrade retrofit programs to aircraft such as the Mil 8, Bell’s 212 and UH-1H and the Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight.
GKN Aerospace is constantly looking to deliver new technology to its customers and has designed a new highly efficient helicopter Emergency Flotation System (EFS). Refining cool gas generator (CGG) technology, a ‘direct inflation’ EFS has been created. It replaces the usual large gas pressure vessels with small, lightweight and extremely rugged CGG units. Each CGG unit efficiently stores gas as an uncompressed solid material and can swiftly produce large quantities of usable gas at ambient temperatures through a controlled reaction. The modular, float-mounted direct inflation unit replaces traditional heavy pressure vessels and piping systems. It delivers a 25 per cent weight saving and a 50 per cent saving in volume. With a maintenance-free life of 15 years, this new EFS will reduce or eradicate most maintenance tasks. Also, un-pressurised storage greatly diminishes the risk of inadvertent deployment during routine aircraft maintenance.
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fuel systems
GKN Aerospace develops innovative fuel systems for aerospace and defence industries. Our products are used for storing, transporting and pumping fuel as well as on-board fuel storage and delivery. Our focus is to provide lightweight fixed and rotary wing fuel systems that meet the demanding requirements of both crashworthiness and, where necessary, ballistic tolerance. We design to meet customers’ requirements for both new systems and programs through to replacement or upgrade requirements for existing systems.
We have met the challenging requirements for armoured vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and Warrior armoured personnel carriers. We are able to provide in- field fuel transfer capabilities with the latest air portable fuel containers which are providing essential support to forward-deployed forces and disaster relief agencies. These capabilities, coupled with our world-class manufacturing, enable us to provide fuel systems that support the needs of our customers from the point of fuel entry into vehicles through to storage and delivery to engine systems. Our unique experience enables us to work with manufacturers to deliver fuel systems to meet the requirements of the heaviest battle tank to the smallest UAV.
Our innovation program is dedicated to solving customers’ technical challenges. An important recent development achieved by our engineers is the creation of the first single-skin flexible fuel bladder. It delivers high-performance crash resistance and puncture tolerance as well as a range of environmental benefits. The technology could lead to a 60 per cent reduction in the use of volatile organic compounds in fuel tank manufacture. It also has the potential to reduce manufacturing time by 30 per cent while the weight of each bladder is typically cut by approximately 5 per cent (through the removal of the adhesive coatings in manufacture).
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precision seals and gaskets
GKN Aerospace is a market leader in the design and manufacture of seals, mouldings and gaskets for harsh environments in both large and small volume production runs.
Our materials development program has produced many high-performance natural and synthetic rubber compounds including Nitrile, Neoprene, Hypalon, Butyl, EPH, Viton, Natural Rubber and Polyurethane.
Materials capabilities feed into product development: from a simple extruded windscreen seal, to an injection moulded gasket on a turbine, from basic O rings to large custom mouldings, we have the capability to design and develop solutions to customer challenges. Products are manufactured from both conventional and specialist techniques unique to GKN Aerospace to deliver high- quality systems, efficiently and with a high degree of precision: from small complex components to volume production runs.
Our seals and gaskets are applied widely across a range of industries including aerospace, military, oil & gas, marine, automotive, power generation, food & pharmaceutical, and medical, covering a vast range of applications.
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