Rolls Royce - The Magazine 146

the magazine ISSUE 146 SEPTEMBER 2015

for customers

Like Lightning F-35Bs are operational Forever Hover

Hovercraft past and present

Perfect TEN

Trent 1000 TEN development

Aloha Trent 700

In service in Hawaii

Rolls-Royce is a global company providing integrated power solutions for customers in aerospace and land & sea markets. We support our customers through a worldwide network of offices, manufacturing and service facilities.

Welcome to the September issue

Hover power is a feature of this issue as we look at the story of the hovercraft and how it is developing for the future. In addition, we are flying with the US Marine Corps, checking out the Trent 1000 TEN and taking environmental journeys by rail and sea. Finally, to relax, let’s visit Hawaii on a Trent 700-powered A330.

For over 30 years the magazine has been highlighting how Rolls-Royce works closely with customers all over the world.

Providing power systems for use on land, at sea and in the air.

Seeking to be ‘trusted to deliver excellence’ in all we do.

We hope you find this latest issue both informative and entertaining.

David Howie Editor

rolls-royce.com

the magazine CONTENTS

inside the magazine

Editorial Board Chris Cholerton, Ian Craighead, John Dawson, Lawrie Haynes, Mikael Makinen, Peter Morgan, Colin Smith, Tony Wood Editor: David Howie david.howie@rolls-royce.com Design & Production: Hubert Burda Media UK LP Print: Park Communications Ltd Printed in England © Rolls-Royce plc 2015 the magazine September 2015 Rolls-Royce plc 62 Buckingham Gate London SW1E 6AT England www.rolls-royce.com

2 Green light for the Green Knights

US Marine Corps Fighter Attack 121 is the first squadron to be declared ‘operational’ on the short take-off and vertical landing Lightning II F-35B.

8 East-West on LNG

Let’s follow the first vessel to operate between Asia and Europe powered solely by liquefied natural gas, as it makes its historic journey.

12 Perfect TEN

Already the most reliable engine on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Trent 1000 is about to set the bar even higher with the engine’s TEN (thrust, efficiency and new technology) programme.

16 Aloha Trent 700

Holidaying in Hawaii is increasingly likely to be courtesy of Rolls-Royce power as Hawaiian Airlines now uses Airbus A330s and Boeing 717 aircraft with Trent 700 and BR715 engines respectively.

21 Beyond the beach

How do you get troops and equipment quickly from ship to shore? The US Navy and Marine Corps are looking at the very latest in hovercraft technology.

26 Taking a structured approach

Frank Kirkland is the Rolls-Royce Senior Fellow – Mechanical Integrity and here he talks to us about engine structures, safety and working closely with design and manufacturing teams.

28 Hybrid train trials

Our MTU engineers recently completed a series of tests to prove a combined diesel and electric drive system for rail power.

30 100 years of hover

We’ve already discussed latest hovercraft technology but how did it all begin? We look at the early days and the pioneers who made it a reality.

Front cover: A Lightning II F-35B on the deck of the USS Wasp.

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Green light for the

GREEN

KNIGHTS

Things were buzzing on board the USS Wasp when six F-35B Lightning II aircraft embarked, putting the ship, the crew, the equipment and the aircraft support teams to the test.

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he flight operations at sea were all part of trials to check the F-35B’s ability to conduct operations from sea-based carriers and expeditionary airstrips along the journey to it being declared ready for world-wide deployment.

That declaration came on the last day of July when the US Marine Corps issued a statement confirming that Marine Fighter Attack 121 (VMFA-121), the ‘Green Knights’ was the first squadron to become operational with this F-35 variant.

“I am pleased to announce that VMFA-121 has achieved

An F-35B Lightning II employs the Rolls-Royce LiftSystem during operational trials on the USS Wasp.

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Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in the F-35B,” said Gen Joseph Dunford, Commandant of the Marine Corps.

“VMFA-121 has ten aircraft in the Block 2B configuration with the requisite performance envelope and weapons clearances, to include the training, sustainment capabilities, and infrastructure to deploy to an austere site or a ship. It is capable of conducting Close Air Support, Offensive and Defensive Counter Air, Air Interdiction, Assault Support Escort and Armed Reconnaissance as part of a Marine Air Ground Task Force, or in support of the Joint Force.”

the magazine DEFENCE

Dunford stated that he has his full confidence in the F-35B’s ability to support Marines in combat, predicated on years of concurrent developmental testing and operational flying.

“Prior to declaring IOC, we have conducted flight operations for seven weeks at sea aboard an L-Class carrier, participated in multiple large force exercises, and executed a recent operational evaluation which included multiple live ordnance sorties,” said Dunford. “The F-35B’s ability to conduct operations from expeditionary airstrips or sea-based carriers provides our nation with its first 5th generation strike fighter, which will transform the way we fight and win.”

Home to the Green Knights, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma swelters for most of the year under the unforgiving Arizona sun. Here, the temperature has been rising by the day and not just because of the climate.

The heat has been on the Green Knights, led by Lt Col Steve ‘Glibby’ Gillette, in more ways than one over the past

The enhancements from the Block 2A software to 2B are phenomenal.

Lt Col Steve ‘Glibby’ Gillette few months as they were put through their paces on the F-35B and underwent a final Operational Readiness Inspection which concluded in July.

The Marine Corps has been focused for two years on the IOC milestone, according to Lt Col Gillette. Referring to the software changes and improvements Gillette adds: “The enhancements from the Block 2A software to 2B are phenomenal.”

One of the most significant events this year – and mentioned by Gen Dunford in his announcement – was the operational test embarkation of the Green Knights on the

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amphibious assault ship USS Wasp.

Leading up to the embark, pilots honed their skills with their F-35B Lightning IIs, flying from MCAS Yuma, to a nearby auxiliary landing field, which boasted a neatly constructed dummy deck of an amphibious aircraft carrier.

Then, in mid-May, the ‘Green Knights’ flew three jets across country to MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, for the real deal — joining three other F-35Bs from Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 501 ‘Warlords’ to begin a six-aircraft detachment for Operational Test One (OT-1).

On 18 May, the six F-35Bs landed on the deck of the USS Wasp, which was sailing off the coast of North Carolina. Here they conducted an 11-day test that would evaluate the full spectrum of the aircraft’s suitability and effectiveness on board the ship.

The USS Wasp was no stranger to the F-35B, having previously been used for both Developmental Tests 1 and 2.

The first vertical landing of an F-35B took place on the assault ship’s deck in October 2011.

Thrust

F-35Bs are the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) versions of the aircraft, featuring the Rolls-Royce LiftSystem®.

This consists of a 50-inch diameter, two-stage counterrotating LiftFan™, capable of generating more than 20,000lbf of thrust. It is driven from a Pratt & Whitney F135 engine and produces the forward vertical lift. A 3-Bearing Swivel Module is a swivelling jet pipe capable of redirecting the main engine thrust downward to provide the rear vertical lift. The jet pipe can rotate through 95 degrees in 2.5 seconds and passes 18,000lbf of thrust. Aircraft roll control is achieved using the Roll Posts mounted in the wings of the aircraft, which provide a further 1,950lbf of thrust each.

Rolls-Royce has more experience of STOVL technology than any other engine maker in the world and of course the F-35B

The crew of the USS Wasp at work with the F-35Bs.

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the magazine AVIATION

is the replacement aircraft for the US Marine Corps’ AV-8B Harriers which used the Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine to provide STOVL capability.

On board the USS Wasp, OT-1 was packed full of test objectives that included the assessment of both day and night flight operations, as well as day and night extendedrange operations.

Other tests included the aircraft-to-ship network communications interoperability, the F-35B Landing Signal Officer’s (LSO) launch and recovery software, the crew’s ability to conduct scheduled and unscheduled maintenance activities, the suitability of F-35B maintenance support equipment for shipboard operations, the logistics footprint of a six-aircraft F-35B detachment, day and night weapons loading, and all aspects of the logistics and sustainment support of the F-35B while deployed at sea. At the end of testing, the six aircraft had conducted 108 sorties and spent approximately 85 hours in the air.

Maj Michael H Rountree served as the LSO for OT-1 and commented: “The good news is that the F-35B works every bit as well as it does on shore. The aircraft itself flies fantastic. It’s an extremely smooth-flying airplane.

“The training we did for this detachment was much less than the training we did in the Harrier fleet to get to a ship, and that is a testament to the ease of the airplane to fly, the pilot/vehicle interface, as well as the simulators that we have on shore that allow us to resemble the ship environment to a high degree. The ship-boarding rates are actually the same if not higher than the Harrier right now. This airplane is going to have a fantastically high boarding rate.”

Of the take-off and landing processes, Rountree stated: “The take-off and landing portion of the F-35B on the ship is seamless. It is much easier to execute from the pilot perspective, as well as the LSO perspective up in the tower.”

OT-1 involved more than just the flying

An F-35B makes a vertical landing on deck.

Vice Adm William Hilrides, commander of Naval Sea Systems Command, holds up two fingers to indicate to the F-35B Lightning II pilot to power up for take-off.

Preparing the aircraft for preparing to welcome you at check in.

Another successful take-off.

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squadrons. Maj Richard Rusnok served as the F-35B detachment officer-in-charge and was the lead planner for OT-1. “The primary purpose of OT-1 was to take what we did with the F-35 in developmental tests and transition that over to the operators.”

Rusnok added: “From the perspective of planning this event we have taken five different squadrons and multiple other entities including the Joint Program Office and industry, with the idea to take six aircraft, which is the same

The take-off and landing portion of the F-35B on the ship is seamless.

VMFA-121, right from standing up the squadron and its team, through to the capabilities of the F-35B and its software. With the flight-envelope restrictions now eased and the Block 2B training software now online, VMFA-121 pilots are flying up to 550kt or Mach 1.2, up to 40,000ft at up to 5.5g.

The US Marine Corps has trained and qualified more than 50 Marine F-35B pilots and certified about 500 maintenance personnel to assume autonomous, organic-level maintenance support for the F-35B. They expect these numbers to continue growing by about 25 per cent per year over the next four years.

VMFA-121’s transition will be followed by Marine Attack Squadron 211 (VMA-211), an AV-8B squadron, which is

Left The Green Knights are now cleared to fly the F-35B in the field.

Right A bird’s-eye view of the Rolls-Royce LiftSystem on the F-35B.

size you would see in a typical Marine Expeditionary Unit, and see how it would function like a normal aircraft detachment operating on the ship. A major emphasis was supportability, from changing an engine to the mundane task of changing a tyre.

“Our ultimate goal was testing to make sure that the first actual deployment on ship goes as easily as possible. Getting ten pilots qualified and used to operating aboard a ship, and getting the ship used to having F-35s on board. The F-35 is bigger than the Harrier that the deck crew is used to seeing, so they needed to get comfortable with that,” he said.

Things have clearly advanced at an impressive rate at

scheduled to transition to the F-35B in fiscal year 2016. In 2018, VMFA-122 will conduct its transition to the F-35B. As the future of Marine Corps tactical aviation, the F-35 will eventually replace three legacy platforms: the AV-8B Harrier, the F/A-18 Hornet, and the EA-6B Prowler.

Authors: Jamie Hunter is a professional aviation photojournalist, with his company Aviacom Ltd having been providing media services for the aerospace industry since 1999.

James Deboer is a military photojournalist based in New York city and is a regular contributor to Combat Aircraft. He has accumulated over 200 hours conducting aerial photography with the military and law enforcement agencies throughout the United States.

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East-West

on lng Rolls-Royce Environships on record-breaking run for pure-gas powered ships.

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single pure-gas Bergen engine from Rolls-Royce has recently propelled Nor Lines’ cargo ship Kvitbjørn into the history books by becoming the world’s first vessel to operate between Asia and Europe solely on liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The longest voyage ever undertaken by a vessel running only on LNG was repeated a few months later when sister ship Kvitnos was

En route, the Kvitbjørn owned by Nor Lines.

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delivered this summer. Now in service in Norway, they are two of the most fuel-efficient and environmentally sustainable vessels in operation anywhere in the world, thanks to a combination of Rolls-Royce technologies, including LNG. The 5,000 deadweight tonne cargo vessels sailed to Norway following delivery from Tsuji Heavy Industries shipyard in Jiangsu, China.

Their journeys took them via Singapore and

the magazine MARINE Bergen, Norway Fredrikstad, Norway

Cartagena, Spain Shanghai, China

The route taken by the vessels showing stop-offs and LNG bunker stations.

Cochin, India Singapore

LNG Bunker Stations

both then stopped for LNG refuelling in Cochin, India, and Cartagena, Spain.

Nor Lines, a transport and logistics company based in Stavanger, Norway, operates a fleet of vessels along the coast of Norway from the Arctic Circle and south to destinations in the Baltic Sea. The two new ships, along with the rest of the fleet serve an extensive network of more than 50 terminals along the Norwegian coast, 15 of which are owned and operated

by Nor Lines.

Destinations

Their extensive logistics network of scheduled shipping services, stretches south from Norway to include destinations in Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Holland, Poland and Germany.

Kvitbjørn and Kvitnos will deliver cargo to ports between Hamburg, the Netherlands and Norway’s most northern mainland city, Hammerfest.

Speaking at Kvitbjørn’s naming ceremony in Stavanger, Tor Arne Borge, Nor Lines, CEO said: “The success of the voyage from Asia to Europe on LNG not only confirms the energy-saving and emissions-reduction attributes of Rolls-Royce’s pure gas engine, but provides evidence to owners of larger tonnage that LNG is not just for short sea coastal ships. The Environship

concept with the Bergen engine has exceeded all our expectations.”

The Rolls-Royce Bergen B-Series lean burn gas engine emits around 17 per cent less greenhouse gases per unit of power than a diesel engine. The use of gas fuelled engines means that Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions are reduced by about 90 per cent while Sulphur Oxide (SOx) emissions are negligible. Emissions are already within the limits of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Tier III environmental legislation, due to come into force in 2016.

The Rolls-Royce Environship combines “five pillars of technology”, according to Rolls-Royce Ship Design Manager, Per Egil Vedlog. He says: “The Environship not only features a clean and efficient gas engine, it has several other features that together make it a highly efficient ship. The wave piercing bow reduces drag and fuel consumption, the Promas combined rudder and propeller does the same, and also gives much improved manoeuvrability. The fourth Rolls-Royce technology pillar is the hybrid shaft generator which optimises the use of electrical power on board the ship. There is a fifth pillar, and that is one of the key success factors of this design; the ability to integrate all elements of the propulsion system.”

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From left to right The bridge and systems control on board the vessels, and the Promas combined rudder and propeller.

This combination of technologies can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 40 per cent compared to similar diesel powered vessels, dependent on operational profile. The Rolls-Royce Promas propulsion system, an integrated rudder and propeller, improves efficiency of the vessel up to eight per cent on its own. The vertical bow shape enables the vessel to maintain speed even in rough seas enabling operators to achieve demanding shipping schedules without the need to burn additional fuel to make up lost time. It reduces resistance, therefore reducing fuel burn and emissions further.

“The realisation of Kvitbjørn and Kvitnos is a significant milestone in the shipping industry’s fundamental transition from diesel fuel to LNG,” adds Oscar Kallerdahl, Rolls-Royce Sales Manager, LNG Systems.

“LNG is now firmly established as a major fuel option for the power generation and marine markets offering reliable, efficient, and

The Kvitnos was the second of the vessels to make the trip.

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clean gas engine technology. That inherent reliability, coupled with low emissions and running costs, means we can offer ship owners a range of engines ideally suited to their future operational and environmental requirements.”

Encouragement

“We congratulate Nor Lines on the delivery of Kvitbjørn, and wish the company every success in their future steps towards a greener shipping industry. The success of this historic delivery voyage will give encouragement to those customers looking to embrace more environmentally friendly ship designs and technology,” he adds.

Rolls-Royce engines fuelled solely by natural gas have been in production since 1991 and have completed over 25 million hours of operation; one million at sea. Since then, more than 650 gas engines

have been delivered for operation on land and at sea. The first maritime engines using LNG entered service in 2006 powering doubled-end car ferries. There are 63 Bergen LNG-fuelled marine engines now in operation on a range of ship types including coastal cargo ships, tankers, cruise ferries, tugs and offshore support vessels.

The gas-only versus dual-fuel argument is a hot topic for debate in maritime circles.

Competing gas engines also use diesel to ignite the gas, and can run on either fuel.

However, Kallerdahl says there is simply no contest. For craft with a steady supply of gas

bunkers, gas-only engines win every time.

They are less expensive than dual-fuel units, more efficient, safer and easier to operate, and only need one fuel system on board. He points first to the fuel’s emissions profile – a 25 per cent and 80-90 per cent

The Environship concept with the Bergen engine has exceeded all our expectations.

Tor Arne Borge, Nor Lines, CEO

reduction in CO2 and NOx emissions respectively, and the virtual elimination of SOx emissions and particulates. This means that Rolls-Royce gas fuelled Bergen engines meet IMO Tier II and Tier III regulations as well as US Environmental Protection Agency rules on NOx. He adds: “The Bergen gas engine is not a dual-fuel engine. A pure gas engine and shaft generator driving a controllable pitch propeller is the most effective configuration for keeping emissions low and improving

fuel consumption while at the same time safeguarding flexibility and redundancy of the system when needed,” says Kallerdahl.

“Merchant ship owners have traditionally been conservative, and not always the first to invest in innovative technology, but that is changing and changing fast, driven by environmental legislation and rising running costs,” says Oscar Kallerdahl.

“These two vessels offer a real step change in environmental performance. The integration of key technologies into one integrated system means the collective performance far exceeds that of the individual components. While the advantages of the gas engine are clear, when you also add the efficiency gains from the wave piercing bow, the propulsion system and the optimised electrical power, then you have a highly efficient and smart ship.”

Author: Craig Taylor is Head of Communications – Marine for Rolls-Royce. He has previously worked in communications roles in the nuclear power and public transport industries.

•

Pioneering and award winning design

The first vessel built to the Environship design was a fish-feed transporter built at the Vard Aukra shipyard in Norway, for the Eidsvaag shipping company. A lot smaller than the Nor Lines Environships, the Eidsvaag Pioner was delivered in May 2013. Its role is to deliver fish feed in the form of pellets to the numerous salmon farms along the Norwegian coast. Running to a fixed schedule, the operation requires good seakeeping and manoeuvrability.

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The Environship has received a number of prestigious industry awards, including the Heyerdahl Award from the Norwegian Shipowners Association in 2014.

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A year earlier it picked up the Green Ship Technology Award, at the Green Ship Technology Conference in Hamburg, and in 2011 it received the Next Generation Ship Award at that year’s Nor-Shipping exhibition in Oslo.

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PERFECT

TEN

Already the most reliable engine on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Trent 1000 will set the performance bar even higher as the engine’s TEN (thrust, efficiency and new technology) development programme moves into its final test stages.

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his latest variant of the Trent 1000 has recently completed a certification ‘Type Test’; 150 hours of hot and fast running designed to simulate conditions more arduous than those ever encountered in service and demonstrate the engine’s durability.

The Trent 1000 TEN is now being readied to begin flight testing on a Boeing 747 flying test bed (FTB) operated by Rolls-Royce. Following that, in 2016, it will undergo flight tests on a Boeing 787 test aircraft to gain full certification for powering the type.

The production version of the new engine will be rated up to 78,000lbs of thrust and will be available for all three variants of the Boeing 787: the -8; -9 and future -10.

Improvements

technologies designed and developed for the Trent 1000.

“This is not a roll-up of other package improvements. The TEN is around a 70-75 per cent part change from the package ‘C’ version in service today. The LP system turbomachinery is largely unaffected but it is basically a new core and new associated systems,” says Gareth Jones, Chief Engineer Trent 1000.

“Each time we have introduced a marque of engine we have addressed the aircraft requirements and also progressively improved fuel burn – this has been an evolving story.

The TEN engine is a development created to meet the needs of the future 787-10, but it has also given us a chance to use some of the best technologies and understandings of the Trent XWB programme and feed these into the Trent 1000 to substantially improve fuel burn whilst retaining our Best In Class reliability.

“Airlines need a machine that can deliver on low fuel consumption and that is completely reliable and robust. It is a balance of attributes and that is what we are going to deliver.”

Going back to the early days of the Trent 1000 it’s worth remembering that this was

Rolls-Royce was first to power the 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft types into service. The company is hopeful of doing the same for the 787-10 aircraft with the Trent 1000 TEN engine, although agreement has yet to be finalised with Boeing on this and discussions are ongoing.

Boeing’s 787-10 Dreamliner, is the latest and longest member of the Boeing 787 family of commercial aircraft, it was officially launched at the 2013 Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, France.

The new Dreamliner can reach a distance of 12,000km, covering more than 90% of the world’s twin-aisle routes, including Europe-US West Coast and trans-Pacific routes. In standard configuration, the variant is to seat up to 330-passengers in a typical two-class configuration.

The Trent 1000 engine has been subject to continuous improvements since first entering service in 2011 with Japanese airline ANA. Since then, Rolls-Royce has Gareth Jones, Chief Engineer Trent 1000. introduced package ‘B’ and ‘C’ improvements.

The first was predominantly to improve fuel the only engine designed specifically to power consumption. Package ‘C’ further improved sfc the 787. It has now reached over a million flying but also delivered the additional thrust needed hours since entry into service. Currently in to power the new -9 version of the aircraft. service with 11 customers, the engine continues However, the TEN programme is not an to demonstrate excellent reliability and improvement package, rather it is a step change robustness despite demanding operational in design and performance. It embodies a requirements, with an average dispatch combination of latest design architectures in reliability of 99.9 per cent since entry into key areas drawn from the highly successful service.

Trent XWB engine and it also features new A Trent 1000 generates 0.5MW of electricity

Airlines need a machine that can deliver on low fuel consumption and that is completely reliable and robust.

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Latest design technology helped develop the new external systems.

to cope with the most demanding point in the flight cycle (take-off) but of course that means the system has a larger air flow circulating during the rest of the flight regime than is really required.

With the new modulating technology, the engine can regulate the amount of air it needs on demand and then when in cruise or idle, a novel valve arrangement uses air vortices (not moving parts) to regulate the amount of air flowing through the system and to meet the high electrical demands of the 787 airframe. The 787’s systems are predominantly electrical or hydraulic and so the demand placed on the engine is two-fold: meet the necessary thrust requirements and ensure the aircraft has enough power to support the electrical architecture.

Rolls-Royce realised early in the engine’s design phase that it would be advantageous for the power offtake to come from the IP compressor, rather than from the HP spool.

Doing so allows the Trent 1000 to have a lower thrust at idle and consequently lower fuel burn.

On short operations, for example, the engine can be at idle for up to one third of the flight leading into the landing phase.

Elegant

The engineers also felt that using the IP spool was a more elegant solution and avoided having to compromise the design of the HP compressor.

Rolls-Royce is the only large-engine manufacturer to use a three-shaft engine design, and so having the power offtake come from the IP compressor was not an option for the competition.

Ice testing on the Trent 1000 TEN at AEDC, Tullahoma.

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The challenge for the design team working on the Trent 1000 TEN programme was to ensure that the engine maintained its deserved reputation for reliability while at the same time bringing even further advantages to customers in terms of efficiency. The single biggest contributor to improved fuel burn in the TEN comes from the new compressor system. It employs a scaled version of the IP and HP compressors from the Trent XWB-84. The HP turbine architecture is shared with the Trent XWB-97 and will provide better component life results for the Trent 1000 in service.

Unique to the TEN is its modulated air system which optimises the secondary air flow within the engine. Historically an engine’s secondary air system has had to be designed

this helps further reduce fuel consumption.

External systems for the engine have been improved and re-designed with a greater use of composites, there is a new external gearbox and a latest generation engine control system using new-generation advanced processor technology.

During development, three technology demonstrators ran from 2013-14 to de-risk the latest developments before they were incorporated into whole engine testing which commenced in mid-2014.

Since then, four engines have run in the test programme and a further four engines are in build.

The first test engine ran to demonstrate that the core compression system would deliver the predicted benefits. The second engine had more of the new core machinery fitted. The third engine was a heavily instrumented test engine that did sea-level runs and then went to Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) in Tullahoma, US, to run in the simulated altitude test bed. Here it was proving performance, functionality and stability. It also undertook an intense and very successful ice test campaign.

The fourth test engine completed the 150 hour endurance test and has now been stripped for inspection by the aviation authorities in the run up to certification.

The flight programme on the 747 is expected to be relatively light at around 100 hours of flying time because the engine is not undertaking durability work, but it will be the first time that the fuel consumption results achieved on the test bed can be proven in the air. It will also give the Boeing test pilots their first chance to work with the engine.

There then follows a more in-depth flight test programme on a 787 test aircraft during 2016. This will be a joint Rolls-Royce and Boeing effort and it will provide the data and specifications for the engine guarantees on the aircraft. It will also confirm all the software integration between the engine and the airframe systems.

Achieved

“This year the story has been all about base ten for Rolls-Royce. We have the Trent 1000 TEN programme going very positively, we now have 100 787s in service powered by Trent 1000s and we have just achieved one million hours in service for the Trent 1000 fleet,” says Gary Moore, Director Trent 1000.

This year the story has been all about base ten for Rolls-Royce.

Gary Moore, Director Trent 1000.

“We are seeing customers recognise the benefits of a robust engine like ours. It is a powerful attribute. Unlike the competition, we don’t have any operational constraints in service due to high altitude icing. I think the industry looks to the Trent 1000 as a great weather vane for judging Rolls-Royce as there are not many large airframes now where there is direct engine competition. Our excellent engineering and reliability of performance is translating into great momentum in the marketplace.

“Of course, customers want lower fuel burn, but they really want reliability coupled with the ability to fly their aircraft where they want to, when they want to and how they want to. The Trent 1000 allows them to do just that.”

Gary Moore, Director Trent 1000 and the stripped 150 hour endurance engine on display.

Author: David Howie is Director of Brand for Rolls-Royce. He joined the company from a marketing consultancy and prior to that was a press officer.

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Aloha Trent 700 If you are lucky enough to be holidaying in Hawaii anytime soon then the chances are you could be flying there on a Trent 700-powered Airbus A330.

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Above Honolulu’s skyline and Waikiki beach.

Below An A330 arrives at Honolulu Airport.

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We value greatly dealing with partners that are intelligent about their products both from a financing side and technical side.

Above and left Trent 700 engines are powering A330s for Hawaiian Airlines.

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f you are lucky enough to be holidaying in Hawaii anytime soon then the chances are you could be flying there on a Trent 700-powered Airbus A330.

Hawaiian Airlines is in the process of replacing its fleet of Boeing 767s with A330s over the course of the next few years. The airline was already an operator of Rolls-Royce engines and has been for 14 years, using BR715-powered Boeing 717 aircraft for inter-island services.

The first A330 arrived in 2010 and the renewal of the Hawaiian long-haul fleet should be complete by 2020.

Hawaiian Airlines first began operations in Honolulu in 1929 as Inter-Island Airways with scheduled flights between Maui and Hawaii Island. The airline changed its name to Hawaiian Airlines in 1941.

Today, Hawaiian Airlines carries an average of ten million customers a year and serves nearly 30 domestic and international destinations across the Pacific region.

The relationship with Rolls-Royce extends to managing its lease engine requirements through Rolls-Royce & Partners

Finance (RRPF). It was RRPF who worked with the airline to provide spare engines for the Boeing 717s when they began operations in 2001 and now they are working together on the Trent 700s.

The airline looked for financing options for the new aircraft and spare engines and engaged with RRPF to find a solution for their spare engine financing. Spare engine leasing enables an airline to have greater flexibility in managing its fleet. Together, RRPF and Hawaiian came to an agreement for a sale and lease-back solution for two of their five Trent 700 spare engines.

Benefited

Commenting at the time Hawaiian said: “We value greatly dealing with partners that are intelligent about their products both from a financing side and technical side.

There are elements of the transaction that benefited Hawaiian Airlines that other lessors could not provide.�

The Trent 700 is the market-leading engine for the A330 long-range airliner, having established itself as the clear

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market engine of choice with over around 60 per cent of A330 operators selecting it. There are now more than 1,600 Trent 700s in service.

The Trent 700 was the first engine in the highly successful Trent family to enter service. Since Cathay Pacific launched it in March 1995 the Trent 700 has logged well over 30 million flying hours. The Trent 700 delivers the power requirements for all weights of the A330 and in particular, for the higher weight aircraft operating in harsh environments. This has been demonstrated with over 70 per cent of A330 operations in the Middle East powered by the Trent 700.

Performance

Above Boeing 717s with Rolls-Royce BR715 engines have been in service with Hawaiian Airlines for 14 years.

Left Final preparations for the departure of an A330.

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With the highest in-service thrust of 72,000lb, the Trent 700 provides the best take-off performance and revenue-earning potential for operators of the A330. It has the lowest lifecycle fuel burn, the lowest cumulative emissions, the lowest noise levels and the best overall environmental performance of any engine on the A330.

Rolls-Royce is now working closely with Airbus on the development of the Trent 7000 for the A330neo aircraft, which is due to enter service in late 2017. This is the seventh generation in the market-leading Trent family of large engines, and is the exclusive engine for the Airbus A330neo.

The Trent 7000 builds on the unrivalled reliability record of the Trent 1000 on the Boeing 787, as well as engine technology utilised by the Trent XWB – the world’s most efficient large aero engine.

Just as the Trent 700 is the engine of choice on the A330, so the Trent 7000 has evolved to provide 10 per cent better sfc, 10db less noise (less than half the sound energy of today’s Trent 700) and the best revenue-earning capability.

The Trent 7000 is the latest addition to the Trent family – the customer’s first choice in the modern, widebody market.

It is also the most reliable large engine family and has more hours/experience than any other large gas turbine family.

the magazine MARINE

Beyond the beach In any conflict when you have to land people and equipment on a beach you want to do so as quickly and safely as possible. Latest technology is now being brought to bear on the vehicle of the future that will connect the ship to the shore.

S

ince the mid-1980s the US Navy and Marine Corps have operated a fleet of specialised heavy-lift hovercraft – or Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) – as the means by which to swiftly deliver an amphibious assault force onto the beach, and beyond.

Very different to earlier generations of ramped landing craft, the LCAC has proven itself a game-changer on two counts. First, as a ‘surface connector’ within the Amphibious Ready Group, it gives commanders the ability to transport a 60-ton payload (vehicles, stores and/or personnel) from ship to shore at speeds in excess of 40 knots. Its speed and range (out to 200 nautical miles with a full payload) mean that dock ships and seabasing platforms can remain stationed beyond the horizon, out of range of coastal defences.

Second, the hovercraft brings a unique capability for operations independent of tides, water depths, underwater obstacles and beach gradients; the navy reckons that air cushion technology allows the LCAC to access more than 70 per cent of the world’s coastline, compared to just 15 per cent by conventional displacement landing craft. What’s more, the LCAC can traverse the shoreline to deliver its cargo several hundred metres inland.

This ability to get to places that would otherwise be inaccessible is not just important for an amphibious assault: LCACs have also come into their own in humanitarian aid/ disaster relief operations, providing the ability to deliver medical aid, stores, food, water and shelter when and where it is needed.

Today, the US Navy operates a force of 72 LCACs, with one

An LCAC approaches the beach.

Air cushion technology allows hovercraft to access beaches denied to other landing craft, and then traverse several hundred metres inland.

the magazine ISSUE 146 21

additional craft employed as a test and trials prototype.

About two-thirds of the inventory have now completed a major service life extension programme (SLEP) designed to extend operational life by another ten years.

But time is fast catching up on the current LCAC fleet.

Continuous operations in the unforgiving environments of saltwater spray and sand mean the craft have taken a battering in service. Furthermore, they rely upon machinery and systems that are no longer state-of-the-art.

And so enter the Ship to Shore Connector (SSC). The US Navy’s next-generation of craft, currently under development, will depend on the compact, power-dense, Rolls-Royce MT7 marine gas turbine to skim a craft over sea and onto the shore.

Experience

Successor to today’s LCAC, the SSC is another air-cushion vehicle designed to land surface assault elements at over-the-horizon distances. It builds on the LCAC pedigree, fits in the same space envelope (ensuring interoperability with all existing US Navy amphibious ship classes) and exhibits a design which, at first glance, does not look so very different from that of its predecessor.

However, according to Captain Chris Mercer, the navy’s amphibious warfare programme manager, there is plenty different about the SSC – and that stems from the fact that it has been designed from the outset to embody lessons learned from three decades of operating experience.

“Since nobody knew more about operating and maintaining LCACs, we did the SSC design ‘in-house’,” he explains. “Under this set-based design approach, we assumed responsibility for ‘locking in’ the major ship

The new Ship to Shore Connector has been designed in-house by the US Navy. It will carry a bigger payload, offer improved reliability, and be easier to maintain.

characteristics like increased payload, more severe environmentals, improved maintainability and reliability, and optimised total ownership costs. This meant that industry, bidding competitively against a common design baseline, could focus on ‘design for production’ and reduced manufacture costs.

Symmetry

“So we designed out maintenance and reliability issues, simplified systems, and added symmetry for efficiency in procurement and production. We introduced an advanced skirt that is lighter and has less drag. We increased the strength of the cargo deck. We gave it a 74-ton payload capacity. We introduced more powerful and more fuel efficient engines, and more efficient propellers. We are going to a two-crew cockpit. And we’re designing SSC to go 30 years without a SLEP.” Following an industry completion, a team led by Textron Marine & Land Systems was, in July 2012, awarded a $212 million contract by the navy to undertake detail design and construction of a first-of-class craft for test and training.

Designated LCAC 100, this lead SSC began build in November

22 rolls-royce.com

elsewhere in the Textron group: for example, Bell Helicopters’ experience is being applied to SSC propulsion design and integration, specifically the integration of gas turbine engines with cross-coupled transmissions using a graphite composite shaft.

According to Captain Mercer, the powertrain is an area where the SSC will benefit from some fresh thinking. “The LCAC has two transversely mounted engines per side, and a total of eight gearboxes – four per side,” he says. “For SSC, we have substantially simplified the machinery arrangement such that the four gas turbines will be dual-coupled into two gearboxes to drive twin lift fans and two six-bladed controllable pitch propellers.

The MT7 combines modern turbine materials and technology to provide a state-of-the-art power system suited to a range of naval applications.

Above The 4-5MW rated MT7 will provide both propulsion and lift for the Ship to Shore Connector.

last year, and is due for completion by February 2017.

The initial contract includes options for up to eight more follow-on craft, the first three of which have so far been exercised; the navy’s SSC programme of record calls for a total buy of 72 operational units to replace the LCAC fleet one-for-one.

Textron Marine & Land Systems brings huge experience to the SSC production programme, having built the majority of the existing LCAC fleet at its manufacture facility in New Orleans. It is also tapping into specialist knowledge

“This brings reduced complexity and promises lower maintenance requirements.”

When it comes to power for SSC, Textron Marine & Land Systems has turned to the MT7 marine gas turbine developed by Rolls-Royce.

Derived from the AE family of aero engines, and maintaining over 90 per cent commonality with the AE 1107C-Liberty turboshaft powering the US Marine Corps’ unique MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor, the 4-5MW rated MT7 will provide both propulsion and lift for the SSC. “The MT7 combines modern turbine materials and technology to provide a state-of-the-art power system suited to a range of naval applications such as main propulsion and power generation,” says Paul Jones, Program Manager, Rolls-Royce. “It leverages the robust performance and reliability of the Rolls-Royce AE engine family which has accumulated approaching 65 million operating hours.

“Compared to the legacy LCAC engines, the MT7 will

the magazine ISSUE 146 23

deliver about a 25 per cent increase in power while at the same time burning 11 per cent less fuel.”

It is this combination of market-leading power-to-weight ratio, excellent fuel efficiency and low through-life costs that appeals to designers of fast craft seeking compact prime movers.

Integrated

The twin-shaft axial design of the MT7 comprises a 14-stage compressor followed by an effusion-cooled annular combustor, a two-stage gas generator turbine and a two-stage power turbine. The engine is cold-end drive, featuring six stages of variable compressor vanes, a dualchannel Full Authority Digital Electronic Control system, modular construction and an ‘on-condition’ maintenance capability. Fuel and oil systems are fully integrated on the engine assembly.

The MT7 shares a proven common core architecture with the AE 1107, AE 2100 and AE 3007 aero engines, incorporating high efficiency components with reduced

maintenance requirements for an extended service life. Rolls-Royce has already delivered over 6,000 AE family engines.

US Navy large-deck multipurpose amphibious ships carrying the SSC in their stern docks will also regularly deploy the MV-22. “The high level of commonality between the MT7 and the Osprey’s AE 1107C-Liberty engine is expected to bring significant in-service benefits with regard to spares holding, maintainer training and supply chain readiness,” adds Paul Jones.

Rolls-Royce in mid-2015 completed 500 hours of endurance testing for ABS certification of MT7. “The company will deliver the first MT7 shipset to Textron Marine & Land Systems later this year,” says Jones.

“The SSC programme of record could potentially lead to the manufacture of over 300 MT7 engines.”

Author: Richard Scott is an award winning journalist and commentator specialising in naval operations, technology and wider aspects of maritime security. Currently Consultant Editor-Naval for IHS Jane’s, he is also a regular contributor to other national and international technical media.

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Compared to the legacy LCAC engines, the MT7 will deliver about a 25 per cent increase in power while at the same time burning 11 per cent less fuel.

An LCAC returning to its support vessel at sea.

the magazine ISSUE 146 25

T

he mechanical integrity of an engine, whatever its application, is something that most people might not appreciate immediately. In civil aerospace applications it encompasses the whole of the engine, from front to back.

And it doesn’t stop there – the engine works as part of a larger system and there needs to be a strong interface between Rolls-Royce and the airframe company to ensure overall integrity.

Mechanical integrity is, basically, making sure engine components last their allotted time in service and that their properties – strength, life, temperature resistance and cooling – all meet the certification requirements. And, of course, this has to be achieved at a competitive cost.

That is a real challenge that Chief Designer – Civil Aerospace Frank Kirkland, who is also the Rolls-Royce Senior Fellow – Mechanical Integrity, has embraced since 2012. Not surprisingly, for someone dealing with engine structures, Frank has adopted a very disciplined approach to his role.

“Before we even start our machines, we have to ask ourselves key questions to define exactly what we are trying to achieve and ensure what we are doing is based on rigorous logic, our experience and best practice.

“I like to structure how we approach things in terms of requirements and we are certainly better now at defining design requirements, and focusing on certification requirements.”

This is particularly important when it comes to safety.

“Safety is paramount, but then we also have to achieve the engine performance that the customer requires.

“One of the key relationships I have is with manufacturing. We establish the connections for future products so that we can be sure of the integrity of the

frank kirkland Takes a

structured approach 26 rolls-royce.com

the magazine PROFILE

structure or component, before manufacturing begins. It is not The working together philosophy also extends to the way a case of ‘well, we’ve designed it – now see if you can make it.’

Rolls-Royce works with the airframe companies. With his It is important that designers have a good relationship with background working on the V2500 for the Airbus A320 family, manufacturing. In my case, I collaborate with Mark Turner, and the Trent 700 for the A330, Frank has developed a strong Senior Fellow – Manufacturing, and we work together on relationship with Airbus. strategic developments.”

This has most recently been in evidence with the Working with Frank to ensure that Rolls-Royce delivers on its Trent XWB-84 for the A350 XWB, with particular emphasis mechanical integrity commitments are the company’s senior on the external gearbox, and looking at the structural loads that technical experts, the Rolls-Royce Fellows. the Trent 7000 places on the airframe for the “I follow a collegiate approach. When an recently-announced A330neo (new engine issue arises where I have relevant experience, option) aircraft.

I will get involved, or if it is outside of my Frank Kirkland joined Challenge field, I will recommend a more appropriate Rolls-Royce as a graduate Frank is also involved in the Trent 1000 TEN expert. I have the overview to make sure we trainee in 1982. engine development programme. The Trent 1000 are using the best approach. I tend to After becoming a supervisor TEN is currently being readied for testing on a influence and connect people more than I get in the early 1990s, Frank Boeing 747 flying test bed and following that, in involved in the detail myself,” says Frank. became a design team leader 2016, will undergo flight testing on a Boeing 787 on Trent compressors. In 1997, Community aircraft. This engine, which incorporates proven he joined the materials “We engineers are part of a community and it next generation technology from the Trent XWB, department which he went is important we work together, wherever we will be capable of powering all versions of the on to lead. may be in the world, whether we are Boeing 787. The differences in engine mountings In the early 2000s, Frank aerodynamicists, performance or mechanical entail discussions with the structural specialists was working on the Trent 500, engineers. We have to make sure all the links in Boeing about the engine loads. then the 700. He became between us are working properly. Rolls-Royce Looking further forward, Frank has been Chief Designer – Civil uses multi-disciplinary teams, which working on the gearbox for the UltraFan™, a Aerospace in 2010. encourages people to see what is going on in geared design based on technology that could be other fields outside their speciality.” ready for service from 2025. It will offer at least Linked computer programmes and good 25 per cent improvement in fuel burn compared personal communications are essential to the multi-disciplinary with the first generation of Rolls-Royce Trent engines. approach. As with much of Rolls-Royce activity today, more work is “This is probably our biggest challenge at the moment – we based on computer programmes and predictions, which need to deliver world-leading reliability using the lightest, complements rig testing. strongest structure, so the gearbox has to be right. We have a “If we are going to do a rig test, which can be a multi-million detailed, structured plan to ensure we use those ten years to entry pound programme, it has to be value for money – to make sure we into service to the best effect,” says Frank. all get the right amount of information out of the testing. I tend to Author: Martin Brodie is a freelance writer/media relations consultant become involved in reviewing the structure of the rig and ensuring following a career as a journalist and as a member of the Rolls-Royce that we effectively use the results of that testing to improve our Corporate Communications department, holding senior roles in defence, civil aerospace and corporate headquarters. engineering models,” says Frank.

BIOGRAPHY

• • •

the magazine ISSUE 146 27

Hybrid train trials Hybrid rail technology is the energy-saving combination of a conventional diesel plus electric drive system.

M

TU pioneered the use of diesel engines in rail locomotives over 90 years ago. Among the most prestigious early projects with Maybach engines was the Fliegender Hamburger or ‘Hamburg Flyer’. It was the first streamlined train in the world to go into regular service, travelling between Berlin and Hamburg with a maximum speed of 160km/h from May 1933, ushering in the era of highspeed rail travel in Germany.

Today, MTU is embracing the opportunities that hybrid technology can offer in terms of efficiency and environmental benefits for the rail industry.

A conventional MTU railway PowerPack® combines all the individual elements into a single functional unit mounted on a supporting frame to maximise efficiency.

As a turnkey supplier, MTU is responsible for all elements of the drive system, including the diesel engine, after-treatment, transmission (diesel-electric, diesel-mechanical, or diesel-hydraulic), auxiliaries and cooling.

MTU has already delivered more than 6,000 of its PowerPacks to the rail industry, of which approximately 1,000 units are

28 rolls-royce.com

EU Stage IIIB compliant.

The MTU hybrid PowerPack combines the benefits of a conventional system with an electric propulsion module, an energy storage system and an outstanding propulsion control system. It provides a sustainable solution, also due to its adaptability to a bi- or trimodal propulsion system via a pantograph connection to the overhead lines. This versatility

later use. The recovery of kinetic energy in braking mode (regenerative braking) is extremely energy and cost-efficient in stopand-go situations on local public transport lines where there are a large number of stops and inclined sections on ‘hilly’ terrain.

This year, for the first time, MTU performed its own tests on a hybrid train. Test runs on Deutsche Bahn’s VT 642 railcar were carried out

A fuel saving of 15 per cent is a fantastic result and means that under optimum conditions, 20 to 25 per cent should be possible.

Dr Ingo Wintruff, MTU Vice President Propulsion & Power Generation, Head of Rail, Mining, Oil & Gas Business contributes greatly to the residual value of railcars equipped with these new systems.

The fundamental idea of hybrid rail technology is that the kinetic energy initially generated by the diesel engine is recovered via an electric motor operating as an electric brake and chemically ‘stored’ in a powerful battery for

in the first quarter of 2015 on the Stauden railway line in Germany, a stretch of track that is approximately 26km long.

During the tests, fuel consumption was shown to be reduced by more than 15 per cent compared to straightforward diesel mode. This was achieved even though the track does not

the magazine RAIL

consumption, the huge savings potential becomes evident. Dr Wintruff was present during one of the test runs and was visibly impressed by how mature the technology actually is.

The hybrid PowerPack is the result of five years of pioneering work by MTU. In the beginning, the focus was on the development wof the crankshaft starter-generator, the battery and the convertor, with integration of all systems into a PowerPack. In 2012, a railcar in Deutsche Bahn’s (DB) fleet

7

repowered vehicles. In addition, various engines are available for hybrid shunter locomotives.

With its wide experience as a system solution supplier and after successful testing, MTU is now moving on to the next stage: The goal is for MTU hybrid PowerPacks to achieve a firm foothold in the rail market.

Author: Rolf Behrens is a member of the MTU team in Friedrichshafen.

6

4

9 1

2 3

POWERPACK COMPONENTS 1

5

8

provide the ideal profile for regenerative braking.

Noise levels from the train when in motion were reduced by a clearly noticeable five decibels. An even greater reduction in noise was achieved when the train was stationary. In a station, the train’s sound level drops by a full 21 decibels, as the diesel engine is shut down and ancillary loads run on the batteries.

“These test runs represent a milestone in this project as a whole,” says Dr Ingo Wintruff, MTU Vice President Propulsion & Power Generation, Head of Rail, Mining, Oil & Gas Business. “A fuel saving of 15 per cent is a fantastic result and means that under optimum conditions, 20 to 25 per cent should be possible.” Considering that around 90 per cent of the total costs for rail drive systems are attributable to fuel

2

was repowered using two hybrid drives. DB subsequently tested the train in order to prove it for traffic certification.

During this year’s tests, the MTU engineers succeeded in completing a test programme covering over 2,300km in just six weeks. In doing so, they worked through some 70 different scenarios which they had previously computer simulated, in order to determine how the system responds to different conditions and how it can be operated with maximum efficiency. The ‘live’ tests also confirmed that the computer simulations had predicted the real results very accurately.

At the heart of all current MTU PowerPacks are diesel engines equipped with SCR technology for reducing NOx emissions that comply with emissions legislation EU Stage IIIB. For underfloor installation, the product portfolio includes Series 1800 (428-530hp / 315-390kW) as well as Series 1600 (768-952hp / 565-700kW) diesel engines, which can be used in new and

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Diesel engine E-motor/generator Transmission SCR catalytic converter AdBlue® tank Li-Ion battery Drive controller System control unit Onboard power supply

All individual drive components of the MTU PowerPack are integrated on a common base frame to form a single compact unit. The batteries of the railcar which was tested are mounted on the vehicle’s roof.

the magazine ISSUE 146 29

100 years of

hover

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the magazine HISTORICAL

Having looked at the very latest hovercraft, we now take a look at the earliest, a story that began 100 years ago.

D

Holidaymakers were clearly relaxed as the giant SR.N4 made its way to sea at Calais, France.

uring the early 20th century the torpedo provided naval combatants with their most effective form of weaponry, spurring naval engineers and designers to research designs for faster and more manoeuvrable torpedolaunching vessels. The most innovative of these to progress beyond the drawing-board stage sprang from the enterprising work of a talented and inventive Austrian naval officer whose name merits a niche in 20th century naval history: Lieutenant Commander Dagobert Müller von Thomamuhl.

Born in 1880, Müller circumnavigated the globe in a training ship as a young officer and, in 1908, joined the torpedo corps of the then mighty AustroHungarian Navy before commanding various torpedo vessels. During that time he also developed new diving technologies, inventing equipment that he proved by setting a new world depth record of 64 metres.

‘skirts’ at each side to help contain a cushion of air, the 7.6 tonne prototype Versuchsgleitboot attained speeds of up to 35 knots (64kph or 40mph). But in spite of extensive trials and development, Müller’s boat – the hull of which came completely out of the water at speeds above 20 knots – proved too unstable for practical use as a torpedo launcher, particularly in high seas. Trials were terminated, engines removed and the craft abandoned.

Experimental

Undaunted, Müller went on to innovate in various fields, developing an air-dropped torpedo system, experimenting with photoelectric beams and designing hydro-electric power plants.

With the demise of his Versuchsgleitboot, the problem of developing a practical hovercraft was to remain unsolved for more than four decades, in spite of efforts by many designers and boatbuilders to create hovering and ‘flying’ vessels.

It was left to another multitalented inventor, like Müller also striving to increase the speed, mobility and efficiency of sea craft, to make the breakthrough. Briton Christopher Cockerell, a Cambridge-educated mechanical engineer, specialised in radio and

One hundred years ago, in 1915, Müller submitted a design for a torpedo vessel like no other. He called it the Versuchsgleitboot or ‘gliding boat’ (see middle column images), an experimental monohull vessel with three 120 horsepower engines to provide forward propulsion and a fourth smaller engine to provide lift under the hull. This innovative layout aimed to attain new standards of agility, speed and manoeuvrability in combat.

Impressed by the concept, naval commanders approved the construction of a prototype, enabling trials to begin of what today is widely acknowledged as the world’s first hovercraft.

Equipped with rigid sidewalls or

electronics development. Working for the Marconi Company from 1935 he helped develop radar, radio-location and post-war broadcasting technologies.

After leaving, Marconi Cockerell’s career changed track when he bought a small boat company in the east of England. Focusing on ways to improve the speed of small vessels, he studied earlier work in which a lift engine had been fitted to a small vessel, partially raising its hull from the water. Cockerell realised that if the entire craft could be lifted from the water its drag would be far lower and its potential for speed and agility much higher.

Momentum

Cockerell’s early experiments with air flows included examining the ring of air flowing when air at high pressure was pumped into the space between two tin cans arranged concentrically. This created an annulus of fast-flowing air, as he anticipated, but also revealed an unexpected characteristic – the curtain of fast-moving air effectively acted as a fence or ‘momentum curtain’ that could potentially be used to capture and contain air at high pressure. This curtain effect meant a significantly lower quantity of moving air would be required to produce enough lift for a craft to hover, far less than in a similar craft relying purely on the speed of airflow alone to generate lift.

Like Müller 40 years before, Cockerell built models to test and develop his invention. They featured an engine that directed air from the front of the vessel into a region beneath it within an annular curtain of fast-flowing air to create both forward motion and lift.

But in 1955 Cockerell failed to spark the interest of boatbuilders and aircraft manufacturers, who

the magazine ISSUE 146 31

Above The SR.N1 arriving in Dover having made the first crossing of the English Channel in 1959. Above right Sir Christopher Cockerell with one of his early models.

viewed the hovercraft as too remote from their core businesses.

Instead he approached the UK government. This resulted in his design being marked ‘Classified’ by the defence ministry, which then lost interest in providing funding.

Only in 1958, when the ministry learned of similar developments in continental Europe, did Cockerell’s promptly de-classified project gain support from the UK’s National Research Development Corporation, which soon placed an order with aircraft manufacturer Saunders-Roe for the first full-scale hovercraft – named SR.N1.

Efficient

In June 1959 the public got their first glimpse of this tiny but clearly radical new machine. The following month the SR.N1 made headlines by crossing the English Channel – exactly 50 years after pioneer airman Louis Blériot made his historic flight along a similar route. Cockerell, later knighted for his achievements, was on board.

Larger and more efficient machines soon followed, delivering the promised combination of high speed and manoeuvrability. By 1965, 50 years after Dagobert Müller’s pioneering Versuchsgleitboot, the hovercraft’s potential for large-scale commercial became promising enough to encourage the British Hovercraft Corporation (BHC) to

32 rolls-royce.com

begin work on its most ambitious design yet – the SR.N4, a 200-tonne vehicle- and passenger-carrying colossus aimed at exploiting the growing UK demand for continental motoring vacations.

Powered by four Rolls-Royce Proteus gas turbines each driving a propeller mounted on a rotatable pylon and a lift fan, the first SR.N4, The Princess Margaret, began scheduled services on 1 August, 1968, with Princess Margaret herself on board. Operated by Seaspeed, a subsidiary of Britain’s then state-owned rail business, its 35-minute advertised flight time for the 26nm (48km) journey – nearly three times faster than conventional ferries of the day – proved a highly effective sellingA Proteus engine being installed into an SR.N4.

point and soon further SR.N4s began to enter service with Seaspeed and rival operator Hoverlloyd.

Flying in an SR.N4 could be a memorable experience, particularly on choppy seas when the craft’s ride became a series of high-frequency, uneven and often violent jolts. After early technical problems, reliability and frequency improved notably.

Operating

By the end of 1971, four SR.N4s were operating more than 160 flights a week and by 1974, 1.5 million passengers a year were flying the Channel at speeds of up to 65 knots (120kph). Upgrades to SR.N4’s Proteus engines, larger

propellers and higher skirts enabled BHC to make significant stretches to two of the hovercraft, increasing their gross weight to 300 tonnes and capacity to 418 passengers plus 60 cars. These machines, The Princess Margaret and The Princess Anne, completed more than three decades of arduous high-intensity flying across the English Channel, finally being retired in 2000, by which time the cost of maintaining them in service had become excessive.

On 1 October that year, the last Rolls-Royce Proteus to remain in commercial aero service spooled-down for the final time, after The Princess Margaret – the first and last of the line – unloaded its passengers and cars to mark the end of a unique era in aviation moulded by the inspired work of Dagobert Müller and Sir Christopher Cockerell.

Author: John Hutchinson is an independent writer on a range of topics including technology.

He has worked in various corporate and media communication roles, never far from the leading-edge industry of aerospace.

Footnote: Of the six SR.N4s built, The Princess Margaret and The Princess Anne survive at the Hovercraft Museum at Lee-onSolent, on the UK’s south coast.

Tr u s t e d t o d e l i v e r e x c e l l e n c e

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Published quarterly

Material contained in this magazine may be reprinted but permission must be obtained in advance from the Editor.

Picture credits

All photographs Rolls-Royce plc except: Cover, P2-3 main, P4-5, US Marine Corps Contents top left, Airbus S.A.S P2 top, P3 top, P5 bottom right, P6, Jamie Hunter P7, James Deboer P10 top, P11 top left, centre, Jan Arne Wold P15, P26, Andrew Siddons, Peak Photographic Ltd P16 top, MNKFotos P21, P24-25, US Navy P22-23 main, P22 bottom, Textron Marine & Land Systems Copyright owned by photographer/organisation.

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