FEATURE

Composites are
the future for GE
Aviation, Hamble
GE Aviation’s site at Hamble, alongside Southampton Water on
the UK’s south coast, has a heritage to be proud of, but it is to the
future that Mike Neave, VP Engineering and Business Development,
Aerostructures, firmly directs his gaze. And that future, it seems, will
be largely based on composites. George Marsh reports.

V
isitors to GE Aviation, Hamble,
(Americans especially) are mightily
impressed by their initial reception
which, as likely as not, takes place in
Sydney Lodge, a listed neo-classical house
that dates back to the 1790s when it was
built to the design of reputed British
architect, John Sloane, for an aristocratic
family. Next, visitors find themselves
intrigued by the aviation heritage of the
surrounding 57-acre site where seaplanes
were built in the 1930s and a succession of
previous corporate occupants have
included British Marine Aircraft, Folland
Aircraft, TI Dowty, Hawker Siddeley, British
Aerospace and Aerostructures Hamble –
which became parts of the Smiths
Industries group. Smiths Aerospace was
acquired by the US-headquartered General
Electric enterprise in 2007.
From the early days, planemakers at Hamble
have benefited from the presence of a
supply chain geared up to serve the several
aviation companies operating in the locality,
the existence in the South Hampshire
hinterland of a substantial pool of aviation
and boatbuilding skills, reasonable proximity
to important customers and waterside
access. The latter was originally useful for
launching seaplanes, and later for shipping
items like the enormous main door that the
Hamble factory built for the outsize Beluga
aircraft used to transport assemblies for
Airbus aircraft. Many sea and land planes
were constructed here, including military
aircraft during World War II. Later, Folland
built the Gnat light fighter/trainer, once
used by Britain’s renowned Red Arrows
aerobatic team.

Hamble has been involved with composites

since the earliest days of their use on
aircraft. It has witnessed and contributed to
the entire evolution of materials and
processes from the early wet lay-up
glassfibre days through to the aerospace-
grade, prepreg autoclaved carbon compos-
Nacelle for a Bombardier Dash 8 turboprop aircraft. ites of today. Arguably, the roots go back to

24 REINFORCEDplastics april 2009 0034-3617/09 ©2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

the days when wood, glue and boat
building skills went into the production of
seaplanes but, more realistically, the
groundwork was laid in the 1950s when the
site started producing canopies and
windscreens for the Folland Gnat. This
provided experience in forming and draping
acrylic resins and gave rise to production of
other aircraft transparencies as well. Skills in
laminating acrylic and polycarbonate plies
together were developed for some of these.
Familiarity with clear plastics helped ease
Hamble naturally into the use of fibre rein-
forced plastics (FRP) at a time when these
materials were making inroads into the mili-
tary aircraft sector. Process workers first used
wet lay-up to produce glassfibre exterior
panels for large military aircraft and parts
for the Gnat. By the mid 1980s a dedicated
composites facility had been set up and
activity was broadened across a wider range
of materials and processes. For instance, an
early contract for some 200 sets of wing-to-
fuselage fairings and underbody panels for
the Saab 340 regional turboprop was met
with aramid/epoxy prepreg materials.
Later, fixed and movable flap tracks for the
BAe 146 regional jet series were being
manufactured as a hybrid of carbon and
aramid in an epoxy matrix. This item had
initially been produced in fibreglass, but
designers at Aerostructures Hamble (the
corporate entity on site at the time) effected
a 20% weight reduction through the change
in materials. Parts of the engine nacelle
produced for BAe’s ATP (advanced turbo-
prop) were of Kevlar, with small amounts of
carbon for stiffening and inclusion of a foil
film for additional lightning protection.
Airframers found that the company’s ability
to carry out the entire design, stress,
production and qualification cycle for a new
or re-engineered aerospace part made it a
desirable supply chain partner, a situation
that pertains to this day.
Material substitution, to save weight or
improve structure properties, was becoming
a significant focus. Hamble was, for instance,
well to the fore in developing solutions
based on bismaleimide (BMI) resin for
applications requiring high thermal
www.reinforcedplastics.com
Solution for hot flaps
John Savage, Technical Authority, Composites,
explains how engineers at Hamble have
addressed a number of issues in developing
composite wing trailing edge parts for the
McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) C17
Globemaster III transport aircraft.
As mentioned in the main article, hot
engine air is blown over the flaps to improve
short field performance and this heat was
damaging certain parts originally produced in
carbon-epoxy composite. Particularly at risk
were the fairings for the actuators that operate
the flaps (see diagram). To provide tolerance to
a design service temperature of 200°C in the
aft, articulating section of each fairing,
engineers elected to substitute bismaleimide
(BMI) resin for the original epoxy. Carbon-BMI
fabrics used for these aft flap fairings are cured
at 180°C then post-cured at 232°C. Advances in
materials and processing technology
developed at Hamble enabled the large
sandwich-constructed panels to be co-cured
and the result satisfied the US Air Force’s
stringent requirements. During the develop-
ment programme, concurrent engineering
practices enabled a full set of BMI fairings to
be manufactured, installed and flight tested in
a very short time.
The forward, fixed portions of the fairings,
that mate with the articulating sections when
the flaps are in their stowed position flush with
FEATURE
the wing, are fabricated using a 120°C cure
epoxy/carbon prepreg (Cytec 919, plain weave
carbon). Each fairing comprises an internal
supporting structure and the external fairing
itself. The support structure consists of a main
‘hockey stick’ carbon beam to which machined
metal ribs and brackets are assembled. The
outer structure comprises two Nomex-stiffened
side covers and a solid carbon ‘arrowhead’
panel.
Also produced at the site are the C17’s wing
trailing edge panels (see diagram). These are
fabricated with 120°C cure carbon/epoxy
prepreg (Cytec 919/8HS) skins over Nomex
honeycomb core. The core is of varied
thickness and because some of it is up to 2 in
thick, core crush was a potential problem.
Engineers stabilised the core by taking special
care to ensure a firm bond with the skins. A
layer of film adhesive (3M AF163) is applied to
top and bottom core surfaces in a separate
vacuum bag oven cure cycle (10 in of Hg
vacuum). Further film adhesive is then used
during panel lay-up to bond the skins to the
core.
De-moulded panels are trimmed and drilled
using 5-axis machining centres, then
non-destructively tested using C-scan
ultrasonics. Seals and retainers are then
assembled to the panels. The panels are then
paint-primed prior to final inspection.
april 2009 REINFORCEDplastics 25
 FEATURE
Working on a C-17 fairing.
tolerance. When a rear fairing was needed
for the gun pod of the Harrier GRMk5 VTOL
combat aircraft, a few metal units were
produced first but a carbon fibre/BMI
version was soon substituted to provide
tolerance up to 220°C, a temperature that
could be experienced when the aircraft was
hovering close to the ground.
US airframer McDonnell Douglas (later
subsumed into Boeing) was to enlist this
experience when developing its C17
Globemaster strategic airlifter. This aircraft
has a blown flap system to enhance short
field performance, and the engine-gener-
ated hot air used was degrading wing
trailing edge parts that were first produced
in carbon-epoxy. Engineers at Hamble
proposed substituting BMI resin and
adoption of their subsequently engineered
solution led to repeated supply contracts
and to Hamble’s current status as the largest
non-US supplier on the C17.
On the civil aircraft front, winning a place on
one of the world’s highest-selling aircraft,
the ubiquitous Boeing B737, did no harm at
all to the company’s fortunes. Still produced
in the large hangar where British Marine
Aircraft once built flying boats, are wing
leading edge components in which metal
elements are combined with a honeycomb
sandwich structure of glass and carbon in
epoxy. The vacuum-bagged prepreg and
26 REINFORCEDplastics april 2009
autoclave approach used for this contract
epitomises what has become a primary
fabrication route today. Nor is the company
absent from the B737’s close competitor, the
Airbus A320 family. GE Aviation produces
the fairing for the wing-to-fuselage join area
on this aircraft using Kevlar-epoxy prepregs
and a heat-formed Nomex core.
While carbon fibre has come to predomi-
nate in primary aerostructures, glass is still
widely used in secondary structure – aramid
less so. Glass prepregs were used for fin
fairings and shrouds on the BAe146/RJ
series. Glass/honeycomb is favoured for its
superior dielectric properties in radomes for
guided weapons and countermeasures
pods. Occasionally, carbon is used in
structure that is not strictly primary.
Refuelling probe fairings being produced by
the company for Europe’s A400M military
transport are of carbon/epoxy honeycomb.
Growing role
Currently about 250 of the approximately
1000 employees at the site are engaged in
composites activity. In addition, there are
some 50 design engineers whose time is split
between traditional metal and composite
structures. Mike Neave, who heads up
aerostructures business development,
believes that the composites proportion of
activity at the site can only grow.
“We’ve already reached the point,” he
observes, “where leading-edge aircraft like the
B787, A350 and the F35 joint strike fighter are
half composite. The drive to reduce fuel
usage and emissions will continue and
ultimately I expect we’ll reach a point where
aircraft are about three quarters composite.
Since composite content is rising all the time,
inevitably our engagement with these
materials will grow too.”
He states, though, that metals are evolving
also and will always have a place. He cites
such developments as new alloys, metal
matrix composites and nanocoatings, adding
that hybrid fibre-metal laminates like GLARE
can combine the benefits of both
material classes.
In preparation for this envisaged future, GE
Aviation is investing in composite tech-
nology fit for the 21st century. Neave
believes that Hamble, in common with the
UK and with developed economies in
general, must constantly strive to develop
the next level of technology, while sending
more labour intensive work offshore to
places like China, India and Malaysia. Accord-
ingly, GE Aviation is focusing on such
aspects as automation, autoclave-free
processing and material improvement. For
instance, Hamble is working with a sister GE
site in Munich on automated fibre
placement and tape laying. Developing
robotic techniques of this sort should, GE
expects, secure substantial cost savings for
series producers of large items such as
aircraft wings and rotor blades for
wind turbines.
“Automation techniques should be as viable
in the UK as anywhere,” says Neave. “On the
other hand, it would pay to locate some of
the more laborious hand lay-up and prepreg
work to sites like GE’s facility at Suzhou in
China, where labour has a lower cost.”
Munich is one of four major sites that are
part of GE’s Global Research Centre (GRC).
As Mike Neave told Reinforced Plastics,
access to research resources is an impor-
tant benefit of being part of GE, which he
considers crucial at this stage in
Hamble’s evolution.
www.reinforcedplastics.com

“Our history here over the years has been
marked by association with progressively
larger aerospace enterprises,” he declares.
“This has given us the ‘horse power’ to
maintain an ambitious R&D programme, to
invest in new technologies and to develop
new material combinations and applications.
It also helps us gain entry to more
significant programmes.”
On-going contacts with facilities in the US
and elsewhere provide oversight of
emerging advances. Engineers and
managers are well aware, for instance, of the
latest developments at the GE Aviation’s
Baltimore site where engine nacelles are
produced, and of the advanced ‘pick and
place’ robotics used for manufacturing
composite fan blades for GE engines.
Adjacent
Another way to access key technologies is to
become active in other sectors that similarly
exploit the low weight, high strength and
stiffness properties of composites.
“We had for some time sought an adjacent
market where we could apply our compos-
ites expertise and gain a revenue stream,”
explains Neave. “It had to be a market
offering series but not mass production,
rather like that for aircraft. We discounted
Formula 1 because, although these race cars
utilise high-performance composites similar
to those used in aircraft, they are produced
in very low numbers, often one-offs. As it
happens, aerospace technology was coming
into supercars – top-end sports cars with
outstanding performance that are produced
in limited editions – and that gave us our
opportunity.”
Hamble currently fabricates light carbon
composite structures for the Mercedes-
McLaren SLR, produced in the UK, and
Sweden’s Koenigsegg car. For the SLR, the
site manufactures the floor pan and tub that
accommodates the driver and passenger
and, for the Koenigsegg, it produces the
entire integral body structure. While
aerospace know-how has helped bring the
required performance edge to these fast
cars, the traffic is by no means all one way.
www.reinforcedplastics.com
In particular, GE Aviation has gained
valuable experience with autoclave-free
processes, having utilised low-temperature
(120°C) curing materials from the Advanced
Composites Group for the Koenigsegg body
shell. Using a heavier prepreg than those
commonly utilised for aerospace has
reduced the numbers of plies required and
consequently accelerated the lay-up process.
In addition, engineers devised an innovative
panel stiffening solution based on structural
polyurethane foam.
Neave believes this type of approach could
be transferred into aerospace.
“Exploiting supercar technology could be
one means of reducing the present high
costs of composite aerospace structures and,
given successful introduction and experi-
ence in aircraft service, the next stage could
be to use similar materials and processes for
load-bearing structures.”
Use of such materials and methods is
already being investigated for a possible
new reduced cost version of the Airbus
A320 fairing mentioned above, and for
certain secondary structures on the A350
XWB, now in its design phase at Airbus.
Currently, Hamble is engaged in a material
qualification process in parallel with the
airframer. Neave certainly sees Hamble’s
foray into supercar production as beneficial.
C-17 panel.
FEATURE
“One of our aims for this diversification was
to leverage automotive R&D to shorten
aerospace concept-to-production cycle
times,” he explains. “Typically, these are about
two years in the automotive sector,
compared with up to seven years for aero.”
Supercar experience could also help open
the way to new applications and markets.
“Using autoclave-free methods would
enable us to consider producing larger
structures in one shot, rather than having to
fabricate separate smaller parts that then
have to be bonded or fastened together,”
declares Neave. “We are looking into, for
example, possible production of complete
integrated airframes for unmanned air
vehicles and flying weapons.”
Indeed, he sees such applications as being a
natural progression for Hamble. Another
likely outlet for the derivative technology
is helicopters.
“After all,” muses Neave, “what is a helicopter
but a crash cell with an engine attached,
just like a supercar? That’s why we’re talking
to a number of helicopter manufacturers
at present.”
Technological advance also derives from
collaboration with other organisations, both
academic and commercial. For example,
april 2009 REINFORCEDplastics 27
 FEATURE

Hamble is collaborating with GKN Aerospace,

located just over the Solent in Cowes, Isle of
Wight, on wing trailing edge sections for the
A350. GE Aviation was recently awarded a
contract under which it will develop and
produce metallic and composite components
and sub-assemblies that GKN will then
assemble into the complete fixed trailing
edge sections at its Filton site, recently
acquired from Airbus as part of the latter’s
planned divestment of certain of its facilities.
As Mike Neave observes:

“The costs of developing a modern aircraft

are such that no-one has the resources to
do it all and the load must be spread
among partners who share the risk. This
principle extends down the supply chain to
major sub-assemblies and components. As a
result, there are times when we collaborate
with interests which, at other times, are
competitors.”

He alludes in particular to Hamble’s

relationship with GKN Aerospace under
which both compete for similar aerostruc-
tural work – engine nacelles and wing
parts for instance – but also find them-
selves collaborating and exchanging
technologies. Sources suggest that GE is
probably investing about $100 million in
the A350 wing trailing edge work,
matching a similar contribution from GKN.
Future focus
Both companies are participants in the
Airbus-led Next Generation Composite Wing
programme, along with some 17 other
partners including Bombardier Aerospace,
Belfast. It is expected that the joint research
programme, aimed at developing efficient,
eco-friendly wings for future Airbus aircraft,
will help secure the UK’s position as the
airframer’s primary centre of excellence for
wing design and production. Hamble’s
interest in achieving this is clear, but Mike
Neave has wider strategic goals in sight:
“We’re working with the South East England
Development Agency (SEEDA) to strengthen
the composites focus within the region. The
South West England Regional Development
Agency (SWERDA) also has an interest
because half of all the UK’s composites
A Hamble technician working on a composite part of a wing leading edge.
capability lies south of the M4 corridor. We
want this nexus to be globally competitive
so that, jointly, we are well placed to meet
future aerospace needs, especially when
work begins on the replacements for current
B737 and A320 single-aisle aircraft that
could start coming on stream towards the
end of the next decade.”
Part of the focus will be continued research.
Looking ahead to the next generation of
composites, Neave envisages smart
composite developments under which
functional systems will be integrated directly
into composite structures. Also on the
agenda are new environmentally-friendly
technologies, developed in line with GE’s
Ecomagination vision. Recyclability will enter
into this. While conceding that recycling of
high-performance composites is an infant
discipline at present, he is confident that
solutions will be in place by the time there
is a substantial need. In this connection,
recyclable reinforced thermoplastics, though
not being actively pursued at Hamble
currently, could become a contributing
technology in the future.
GE Aviation clearly recognises the rich
inheritance it gained with its Hamble site
and is determined to continue building on
it, with special focus on composites. A
productive past does not guarantee a
fruitful future however, and the Americans
are equally conscious of current advantages
including proximity to much of Europe’s
aerospace activity and to major customer
Airbus; good communications by road, rail,
air (Southampton, Heathrow, Gatwick etc)
and sea when required; a skilled and loyal
workforce; room for building expansion if
and when necessary; and presence within
the major concentration of UK composites
activity. These and other factors should add
up to continued commitment to Hamble
and to on-going composites development
there.  ■
Further information
GE Aviation; www.geaviation.com

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