Visit of Québec Aerospace delegation to UK

15-19 OCTOBER 2007

Twelve delegates took part in a very successful mission which focused on advanced composite technologies in Aerospace in the UK.  It was organised by United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) in collaboration with the National Composite Network (NCN) and Faraday Advance in the UK, and by CRIAQ and the Quebec Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade (MDEIE), and was partly funded by Quebec Ministry of International Relations (MRI)

The mission was very well organised and thought out, with a busy schedule including visits to:

• Imperial College’s Aerospace Engineering Composite Centre (London)

• The GKNComposites Centre of Excellence (Isle of Wight)

• Airbus Composites Development Centre (Filton Bristol).

• Bristol University Advanced composites Centre for Innovation and Science

• Bombardier Aerospace (Shorts, Belfast) and meeting with Queen’s University Belfast, University of Ulster, and Invest Northern Ireland delegates.

• Advanced Composites Group (Heanor, Derby)

Networking meetings were also organised/hosted by UKTI, NCN, South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Farnoborough Aerospace Consortium (FAC), South West of England Regional Development Agency (SWERDA), Yorkshire Forward, and Faraday Advance. 

The group was welcomed by the Canada-UK Chamber of Commerce networking reception on October 15, at the Canadian High Commission.

The delegates were impressed by the UK composites program with Universities working on more fundamental research while Composite Centres of Excellence and industry focusing on more applied research.  All interested parties combine in major concept demonstration programs where various technologies are demonstrated in a single representative aircraft major assembly such as the “Tango” wing and the “Fubacomp” fuselage.

In every instance, there was an expression of interest in Technology collaboration.  The delegates will thus pursue discussions and follow ups while CRIAQ will help set up a mechanism to facilitate international collaboration.

Photos: André Bazergui (CRIAQ)
Click on a photo to enlarge it

Photo Album

2007-10-14 - Briefing session - London

Briefing session with Faye Smith and Chris Beck of UKTI

2004-10-15 - Visit to Imperial College Composites Center

London,  Royal Albert Hall (just across from Imperial College)

Dr. Emile Greenhalgh, Lecturer, Composite materials

Dr. Sivestre Taveira Pinho, Lecturer,
Structural damage, fracture mechanics

Dr. Bamber R.K. Blackman, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director of Research

Dr. Alexander Bismarck, Lecturer in Chemical Engineering

Good discussion

Visit to Dr. Bismarck's Chemical Engineering Lab.

Full field 3D digital image correlation.

Runway debris testing.

The group in Dr. Greenhalgh's lab.

2007-10-15 - Networking Event - Conference Centre - Victoria Street, London

Dr. Deborah Pullen, Director
National Composites Network

Alan Fischer, SBAC

Nick Stuart, UKTI, Head of Science and Technology

John Ward, Combined Composite Technologies

Dr.Andrew Mills, Cranfield U. Principal Research Officer in Composites Manufacturing with Dr. Robert Fews

Hazel White, UKTI, and Richard Pitman, Dept. for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform

Brian Matthews, Nanoforce Technology, Alan Fisher SBAC

Roger Caesley, Insensys

The group at the gates of Buckingham Palace with Dr, Roger Davidson (CGT), 3rd from left, and Adam Lockley (PERA) 2nd from right.

2007-10-15 - Canada-UK Chamber of Commerce Networking Event

André Bazergui and Louise Pichon with Manon Boucher, Director of Economic Affairs, and Charles Pagé, Business Development Attaché, Quebec Government office London

Pierre Labelle, Pierre Dicaire, Suong Hoa

Chris Beck, Hazel White, Richard Higgins and Nick Carter, UKTI

Charles Pagé, Hazel White, François Trochu and Nigel Bacon (Executive Director, Canada-UK CC)

André Bazergui introducing the mission members

Pascal Desilets, André Bazergui, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh (President, Canada-UK CC)

2007-10-16 - Visit to GKN Aerospace - Composite Research Centre - Isle of Wight

The group with Dan Ninnan (Technology Manager, GKN) and Phil Collins (Project Engineer, GKN)

2007-10-16 - Networking Dinner, sponsored by SEEDA and FAC - Southampton

Front Row: Pierre Labelle, Nick Carter (UKTI), Louise Pichon.  Back Row: Robert Fews, Pascal Desilets, Mike Neave (GE), Trevor Moore (SEEDA), Pierre Dicaire, Andrew Di Chiro

Left Row: Ross Bradley (FAC), Larry Lessard, John Reynolds (SEEDA), John Savage (GE), Pascale Jenkins.  Right Row: Faye Smith, François Trochu, Martin Lévesque, Suong Hoa, Robert Fews, Pascal Desilets 

John Reynolds, Larry Lessard, Ross Bradley, André Bazergui, Faye Smith, François Trochu, Martin Lévesque

Mike Neave (GE Aviation), Trevor Moore (SEEDA)

Faye Smith, François Trochu

Larry Lessard, Ross Bradley (FAC)

John Savage, John Reynolds

2007-10-17 - Visit to Airbus NCN Centre, Filton

Bristol's Clifton suspension bridge on the Severn River

The Airbus Plant in Filton

Group photo at Airbus Filton.  Allan Kaye (Airbus), Louise Pichon (MDEIE), Pascal Desilets (Aerospace Technologies Centre, CTA), Adrian Tayler (Airbus), Pierre Labelle (Composites Development Centre of Québec, CDCQ), Daniel Johns (Airbus), François Trochu (École Polytechnique, Montreal), David Inston (Airbus), Martin Dodge (South West of England Regional Development Agency), Pierre Dicaire (National Research Council of Canada - Institute for Aerospace Research), Natalie Jordan (NCN), Suong V. Hoa (Concordia University), Martin Lévesque (Marquez Inc.), Pascale Jenkins (MDEIE), Larry Lessard (McGill University), Robert Fews (Bell Helicopter Textron Canada), Andrew Di Chiro (Bombardier Aerospace), George Tomka (UKTI),  André Bazergui (CRIAQ)

2007-10-17 - Visit to ACCIS (Advanced Composites Centre for Innovation and Science) Bristol University

André Bazergui presenting CRIAQ

Prof. Michael Wisnom, Director of ACCIS

André Bazergui and Michael Wisnom

Dr. Paul Weaver, Reader in Lightweight Structures and EPSRC Advanced Research Fellow

Stephen Hallett (Lecturer, Aerospace Structures), Paul Weaver , Ian Bond, Hua-Xin Peng (Snr Lecturer in Aerospace Materials)

Autoclave           Fatigue testing machine

3D Weaving equipment

Biaxial testing machine

Composites layout lab

The structures and seismic testing lab

The group at the University of Bristol with George Tomka (UKTI), at far right.

2007-10-17 - Boat Trip on the Severn and Dinner sponsored by SWRDA - Bristol

Clifton Suspension Bridge

The Matthiew (John Cabbot's ship)

2007-10-18 - Visit to Bombardier Aerospace - Belfast

Welcoming presentation by Gavin Campbell (Director Design Engineering & Technology Development, Bombardier Aerospace Belfast)

Gavin Campbell

Sam Wilson (Head of Composites, Materials & processes engineering, Bombardier Belfast)

Keith Campbell (Chief engineer, strategic technology, Bombardier Belfast)

Keith Campbell, Prof. S. Raghunathan (Bombardier Aerospace Royal Academy Chair, Queen's University Belfast)

Tom Edgar (Northern Ireland Technology Centre, Queen's U Belfast), William McGuinnes (Invest Northern Ireland, shown in enlarged view)

Tom Edgar

Pat Doyle (Invest Northern Ireland)

Dr. Justin Quinn (Composites and Polymer Research, University of Ulster)

Dr. Alistair T. McIlhagger (Lecturer Advanced Materials, U. Ulster)

Martin Lévesque (Marquez)

Pierre Dicaire (NRC-IAR-AMTC)

Suong V. Hoa (Concordia U.)

François Trochu (École Polytechnique)

Pascal Desilets (CTA)

Larry Lessard (McGill)

Pierre Labelle (CDCQ)

André Bazergui (CRIAQ)

Larry Lessard, Derek Simpson (Bombardier Belfast), François Trochu, Andrew Di Chiro, Sunong Hoa, Pierre Labelle, Louise Pichon, Keith Campbell (Bombardier Belfast), Pascal Desilets, Gavin Campbell (Bombardier Belfast), Martin Lévesques, André Bazergui, Sam Wilson (Bombardier Belfast)

2007-10-18 - Networking Dinner sponsored by UKTI  - Doncaster

Dinner was held at Best Western Mount Pleasant Hotel, Doncaster.  Sponsored by UKTI with Yorkshire Forward and representatives from local companies and the University of Sheffield

Two U, of Sheffield graduates: André Bazergui and Prof. Terry McGrail (Technical Director, Advanced Manufacturing Research Center, U. of Sheffield)

Andrew Di Chiro, Martin Lévesque, Pascal Desilets, Simon J. Spode (Advanced Manufacturing Park)

Rachel Cowper (Yorkshire Forward), Prof. Costas Soutis (Head of Aerospace Engineering, U. of Sheffield)

Prof. Soutis, Robert Fews, André Bazergui

Prof. McGrail, François Trochu, Andrew Di Chiro, Martin Lévesque, Simon Spode

Suong Hoa, François Trochu, Patrick D. Eaton (Laser Optical Engineering Ltd.)

Dr. Robin Young (Faraday Advance, Transport Node of Materials, Oxford U), Louise Pichon

Chris Beck (UKTI), Robin Young

2007-10-19 - Visit to Advanced Composites Group - Heanor, Derby

Presentation by Dr. Quintin Fontana (Collaborative Research Project Manager, Advanced Composites Group)

Faye Smith (UKTI)

Dr. Mike Johnson (Senior Lecturer, U. Nottingham), Catherine Allford (East Midlands Development Agency)

Dr. Marcello Grassi (Composites Structural Design and Fabrication, QinetiQ), Bernice Robinson (Defence Equipment and Support)

Marcello Grassi

André Bazergui, Larry Lessard, Mike Johnson (U. Nottingham). Pierre Labelle, Louise Pichon, Pascale Jenkins, Suong Hoa, Robert Fews, Marcello Grassi (QinetiQ), Martin Lévesque, Pascal Desilets, Robin Young (Faraday), François Trochu, Andrew Di Chiro