Aero Research Limited
Encyclopedia
Aero Research Limited was a British
company that pioneered several new adhesives, intended initially for the aeronautical
industry.
Formed in 1934
by Norman de Bruyne
at Duxford
, Cambridgeshire
from an earlier company of his, the Cambridgeshire Aeroplane Construction Company, ARL started a long-term relationship with the de Havilland
company by initially working on reinforced phenol
-formaldehyde
resins for use in variable pitch
propeller
s. This material, being lighter than aluminium alloy
s, offered much-reduced centrifugal loads on the hub bearings.
This was followed by work on synthetic
urea-formaldehyde
adhesives and led to the Aerolite
range of wood
glues, used on the Horsa
glider and the de Havilland Mosquito
fast bomber and later, fighter.
ARL was responsible for developing a number of aeronautical-related adhesives, including Aerolite 306, Aerodux 500, Redux
- a metal-to-wood, metal-to-metal adhesive, used on the de Havilland Hornet
and Comet
, and the epoxy resin Araldite
. Other products included its Aeroweb honeycomb core, and Fibrelam panels.
ARL was later sold to Ciba in 1947 and its range of products later marketed under the Ciba (ARL) name.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
company that pioneered several new adhesives, intended initially for the aeronautical
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
industry.
Formed in 1934
1934 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1934:-Events:* Sir Alan Cobhams Flight Refuelling Ltd. develops the looped-hose aerial refueling system, a weighted cable let out of a tanker aircraft and grabbed by a grapnel fired from the receiving aircraft...
by Norman de Bruyne
Norman de Bruyne
Norman Adrian de Bruyne FRS was born in Punta Arenas Chile on November 8, 1904, baptized on March 19, 1905 at the Anglican Church St. James Church, by the Rev. Edwin Aspinall. His father was Dutch and his mother English. He grew up in England, studied science at the University of Cambridge and...
at Duxford
Duxford
Duxford is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, some ten miles south of Cambridge.-History:The village formed on the banks of the River Cam, a little below its emergence from the hills of north Essex...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
from an earlier company of his, the Cambridgeshire Aeroplane Construction Company, ARL started a long-term relationship with the de Havilland
De Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...
company by initially working on reinforced phenol
Phenol
Phenol, also known as carbolic acid, phenic acid, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5OH. It is a white crystalline solid. The molecule consists of a phenyl , bonded to a hydroxyl group. It is produced on a large scale as a precursor to many materials and useful compounds...
-formaldehyde
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula CH2O. It is the simplest aldehyde, hence its systematic name methanal.Formaldehyde is a colorless gas with a characteristic pungent odor. It is an important precursor to many other chemical compounds, especially for polymers...
resins for use in variable pitch
Controllable pitch propeller
A controllable pitch propeller or variable pitch propeller is a type of propeller with blades that can be rotated around their long axis to change their pitch...
propeller
Propeller (aircraft)
Aircraft propellers or airscrews convert rotary motion from piston engines or turboprops to provide propulsive force. They may be fixed or variable pitch. Early aircraft propellers were carved by hand from solid or laminated wood with later propellers being constructed from metal...
s. This material, being lighter than aluminium alloy
Aluminium alloy
Aluminium alloys are alloys in which aluminium is the predominant metal. The typical alloying elements are copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon and zinc. There are two principal classifications, namely casting alloys and wrought alloys, both of which are further subdivided into the categories...
s, offered much-reduced centrifugal loads on the hub bearings.
This was followed by work on synthetic
Chemical synthesis
In chemistry, chemical synthesis is purposeful execution of chemical reactions to get a product, or several products. This happens by physical and chemical manipulations usually involving one or more reactions...
urea-formaldehyde
Urea-formaldehyde
Urea-formaldehyde, also known as urea-methanal, named so for its common synthesis pathway and overall structure, is a non-transparent thermosetting resin or plastic, made from urea and formaldehyde heated in the presence of a mild base such as ammonia or pyridine...
adhesives and led to the Aerolite
Aerolite (adhesive)
Aerolite is a urea-formaldehyde gap filling adhesive which is water and heat resistant. It is used in large quantities by the chipboard industry and also by wooden boat builders for its high strength and durability. It is also used in joinery, veneering and general woodwork assembly...
range of wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
glues, used on the Horsa
Airspeed Horsa
The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a British World War II troop-carrying glider built by Airspeed Limited and subcontractors and used for air assault by British and Allied armed forces...
glider and the de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
fast bomber and later, fighter.
ARL was responsible for developing a number of aeronautical-related adhesives, including Aerolite 306, Aerodux 500, Redux
Redux (adhesive)
Redux is the generic name of a family of phenyl–formaldehyde/polyvinyl–formal adhesives developed by Aero Research Limited at Duxford, UK, in the 1940s, subsequently produced by Ciba . The brand name is now used for a range of epoxy adhesives manufactured by Hexcel. The name is a...
- a metal-to-wood, metal-to-metal adhesive, used on the de Havilland Hornet
De Havilland Hornet
The de Havilland DH.103 Hornet was a piston engine fighter that further exploited the wooden construction techniques pioneered by de Havilland's classic Mosquito. Entering service at the end of the Second World War, the Hornet equipped postwar RAF Fighter Command day fighter units in the UK and was...
and Comet
De Havilland Comet
The de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, it first flew in 1949 and was a landmark in aeronautical design...
, and the epoxy resin Araldite
Araldite
Araldite is a registered trademark of Huntsman Advanced Materials referring to their range of engineering and structural epoxy, acrylic, and polyurethane adhesives. The name was first used in 1946 for a two-part epoxy adhesive....
. Other products included its Aeroweb honeycomb core, and Fibrelam panels.
ARL was later sold to Ciba in 1947 and its range of products later marketed under the Ciba (ARL) name.
See also
- AeroliteAerolite (adhesive)Aerolite is a urea-formaldehyde gap filling adhesive which is water and heat resistant. It is used in large quantities by the chipboard industry and also by wooden boat builders for its high strength and durability. It is also used in joinery, veneering and general woodwork assembly...
- AralditeAralditeAraldite is a registered trademark of Huntsman Advanced Materials referring to their range of engineering and structural epoxy, acrylic, and polyurethane adhesives. The name was first used in 1946 for a two-part epoxy adhesive....
- De Bruyne SnarkDe Bruyne Snark-Bibliography:...
- ReduxRedux (adhesive)Redux is the generic name of a family of phenyl–formaldehyde/polyvinyl–formal adhesives developed by Aero Research Limited at Duxford, UK, in the 1940s, subsequently produced by Ciba . The brand name is now used for a range of epoxy adhesives manufactured by Hexcel. The name is a...