Wide-ranging consultancy services are offered to clients in the defence industry with security clearance to SC level. These include:
- providing out-sourced project management services,
- provision of design and analysis services through our associate members and partners,
- business development services,
- composites design and analysis services,
- mechanical design services,
- facilitating new manufacturing options and introducing new manufacturing partners,
- facilitating CAE and PLM technologies and methods through process efficiency improvement and providing advice and recommendations to organisations wrestling with the inter-connected problem of culture change resulting from the introduction of new technologies.
Case Studies
Defence organisation: submarine project
Direct appointment working as a consultant for an SME developing composite design and manufacturing processes for new telescopic masts for submarines. A new prepreg material construction was proposed for two telescopic masts, each approximately 5m long and up to 800mm in section. In addition to the structural requirements, the design process required a detailed exploration of all manufacturing options such that the design intent for weight, stiffness and strength could be met for all operational loads.
The evolution of designs occur when either new materials become available or new data emerges that cause load cases to be reviewed. Both these eventualities have been witnessed in recent years creating the need for a large number of mast structures to be redesigned and improved upon. With weight and stiffness being critical properties, heavily revised designs had to be re-optimised to meet performance criteria. With new prepreg resin systems now available from suppliers specializing in marine environment applications, coupled with use of the latest analysis tools, the appointment enabled the improvement of composite mast structures to new levels of design efficiency.