2. 3
Sir Henry Royce
Formed Rolls-Royce
with Charles Rolls in 1904
Pioneering engines that changed the world
Our co-founder was keenly aware of the need to file patent applications to protect his fledgling company. His first in the
field of aero engines was for the Eagle, which entered service in 1916, producing 250hp, increasing to 365hp by the end of
the First World War.
Together with the Hawk and Falcon, the Eagle was responsible for over half the power used in the air by the Allies. Eagle
engines went on to pioneer civil aviation in Europe and powered the first direct transatlantic flight in 1919, and the first
flight from England to Australia.
By the late 1920s Sir Henry had launched a second generation of aero engines, the Kestrel and Buzzard. In just six months,
the 900hp Buzzard evolved into the 1,900hp R engine. In Mitchell’s Supermarine S6 seaplane it gave Britain a second
successive win in the Schneider Trophy contest, and for that Sir Henry was made a baronet in 1930. A sprint version of the
engine helped secure a world speed record of 407.5mph.
Sir Henry’s last engineering decision was to embody the technology of the R engine in a new engine for the RAF’s
next-generation fighter planes. The outcome was the Merlin, which powered the famous Hurricane and Spitfire in the
Battle of Britain, and contributed greatly to the Allies winning the Second World War.
“Strive for perfection in everything we do. Take the best that
exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it.”
Key patents
• GB103277 & GB103278: Sir Henry’s first aviation patents, which specifically relate to a means
for supporting a swivelling propeller that’s mounted at the end of a cantilever arm.
Our reputation is built on world-class engineering.
Part of the reason we’re ‘Trusted to Deliver Excellence’
is because we continually demonstrate that we can
think freely and intuitively to solve difficult challenges
and find ways to do what we do better and faster.
We value and praise innovation because it improves
our competitive position, takes us in new directions
and keeps us at the cutting edge. While we are proud
of being innovative in everything we do, it’s technical
innovation through our engineers which is at the heart
of our great company.
Protecting the future of our business
When we do innovate, it’s important that we protect
our inventions through patents.
We’re one of the highest filers of patent applications in
the UK, and we’re proud to say that number continues
to rise year on year.
Filing patent applications is essential for
maintaining a competitive advantage, for ensuring
our inventors’ efforts add greater value to our
products, and for demonstrating to the world –
and our customers in particular – how motivated,
committed and innovative our engineers are.
Meet our inventors
Our people are our power. Their
commitment to delivering excellence to
customers and their vision of what we
can achieve are fundamental to our
continued success.
We’re very proud of our talented and
motivated innovators, and this booklet
celebrates just a few of the 4,000 plus
inventors we’ve had since Rolls-Royce was
founded, ranging from the first, Sir Henry
Royce, to those forging the future at
Rolls-Royce today.
>
Innovation is in our DNA
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Designer of the three-shaft engine
There have been many patents filed relating to the three-shaft engine, but the very first was filed in June 1943, naming
Lionel Haworth and two of his colleagues as inventors.
Lionel was originally brought in to work on piston engines, but after reportedly being told to “design us a jet”, he designed
the later-abandoned WR1. Despite the false start, Lionel began designing the three-shaft engine – a concept on which the
RB211 and Trent engine families are based.
Described as a hugely influential presence whenever he entered the room, this talented engineer was also known for his
work on the Clyde propeller turbine engine, which first ran in 1945. The Clyde led to the much simpler Dart, the engine that
changed the airline industry’s mind from piston to jet when it entered service in 1953. He then went on to become chief
designer of the Tyne, which remains the western world’s most powerful turbo propeller engine.
In 1962, Lionel left Rolls-Royce to join Bristol Siddeley, where he was responsible for production versions of the iconic
Olympus 593 engine for Concorde and the Harrier’s Pegasus engine. In the late 1960s he returned to Derby to address
design problems in the early days of the RB211, but largely continued to work in Bristol until retiring in 1977.
Lionel Haworth
Joined Rolls-Royce in 1936
His grasp of aero gas turbine engines was so complete,
he could design every aspect of the engine.
Key patent
• GB579820: first patent for the three-shaft engine.
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A creative and inspirational engineer
It was under Geoff Wilde’s inspirational leadership that Rolls-Royce initiated a number of engine studies, including work on
civil engines with bypass ratios up to eight at a time when others were advocating much lower ratios.
From a range of options, he chose the three-shaft engine concept which was developed and launched as the RB211-22 for
the Lockheed L1011 Tristar. That three-shaft concept is the basis of the RB211 and Trent engine families, which are the
foundation of the company’s success in the commercial airline market.
In addition to the RB211, his group produced a prolific number of studies of new and derivative engines and component
concepts. He also led the High Temperature Demonstrator Unit (HTDU) programme, which produced the first cast HP
turbine blade using high pressure feed and the first directionally solidified multi-pass HP turbine blade.
When Geoff started at Rolls-Royce he played a leading role in the design and development of the two-stage Merlin
supercharger, the most important wartime development of the engine.
He progressed to lead the work on the Dart two-stage centrifugal compressor and the Avon multi-stage axial compressor.
He then went on to design the compressors for the Conway, the world’s first bypass engine.
Geoffrey Wilde
Joined Rolls-Royce in 1938
His innovations in compressor design and rig test techniques
were world-leading and admired by all his peers.
Key patent
• GB1128832: patent for the three-shaft engine design used for the RB211.
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Creator of the TAP method
Although he has numerous inventions and patents to his name, John Webster’s most important innovation is a technique
for inspecting fan blades for damage.
The transient acoustic propagation method – widely known as TAP – has saved us millions of pounds every year since its
development in the early 1980s. TAP uses a combination of acoustic emission (listening to cracks growing) and ultrasonics
(injecting a pulse and listening to it) to determine faults. He got the idea for the technique after exploring strange results
during acoustic emissions testing on fan blades.
John, who started at Rolls-Royce by working in the lab with acoustic emissions, vibration, non-destructive evaluation and
mechanical systems, is now a specialist in smart technologies. Today, he’s still working on possible new developments and
applications for TAP.
For those engineers who want to invent, he recommends immersing yourself in the problem and simplifying the
requirements as far as possible. He also says it’s helpful to observe the world and everything in it to “fill your brain full
of mechanisms, concepts and technologies from many different industries. But don’t expect to come up
with an answer while you’re thinking about it – do plenty of day dreaming!” he says.
John Webster
Joined Rolls-Royce in 1977
“Don’t be afraid to come up with silly ideas. Silly ideas can lead
to a more sensible idea or may inspire someone else to come
up with an idea.”
Key patent
• EP0387996: patent relating to transient acoustic propagation (TAP).
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A prolific inventor who developed hollow fan blades
How do you decrease the weight of a fan blade? James Petrie and colleagues addressed this question in the 1960s when
they developed a method for producing a honeycomb-structured hollow fan blade.
Rather than a solid ‘clapper’, their blade was made using a titanium honeycomb sandwich structure, with the honeycomb
bonded between two solid sheets. When it was introduced into service in the 1980s on the RB211 and V2500 engine
families, it set new standards in aerodynamic efficiency and resistance to foreign object damage. It was 24 per cent lighter
and provided an overall engine weight benefit of seven per cent.
Our wide chord fan blade is perhaps the best example of the application of titanium, coupled with advanced processing
techniques, to give a significant service advantage.
As significant as this achievement was, it was not James’ only invention to benefit the company; in fact patent applications
were filed for around 100 of James’ inventions over his 30-year Rolls-Royce career. One of these was the first patent
depicting an engine that looks similar to the RB211.
James Petrie
Joined Rolls-Royce in c1943
Patent applications were filed for around 100 inventions
over his 30-year Rolls-Royce career.
Key patents
• GB1130285: patent for the method of producing honeycomb-structured hollow fan blades.
• GB1128832: patent for the three-shaft engine design used for the RB211.
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Innovator of blisk repairs
Dan Clark works in Manufacturing Technology in the areas of welding engineering, localised heat treatment, powder
metallurgy, blisk repair and lower process-readiness technologies. He began his career with us in the Hucknall lab as a
special metallurgical engineer, earning his EngD in 2012 and becoming a fellow of The Welding Institute.
His most significant invention relates to blisk repair. Our blisk designs preclude the use of more conventional furnace heat
treatment methods, so Dan and his colleagues created a new method using high-velocity inert gas treatment. This allows
the blisks to be repaired without the damage caused by traditional methods.
This technology has been successfully demonstrated with novel flow control and is now installed and optimised in the
Integration and Development Cell.
Dan’s work on blisk repair has contributed to Rolls-Royce’s ability to provide high-performance repair over larger areas
than our competitors can achieve, and include hollow and complex sections. This innovation has resulted in a significant
scrap reduction.
His work in this area saw Dan and his team finish as runners-up in the prestigious Sir Henry Royce Awards for
Technical Innovation in 2007 and 2009.
Innovating to solve important problems
Ian Care is named as inventor on many patents, but his most notable inventions are an air/oil separator that reduces oil loss
from the engine, and a locking plug that secures turbine blades to the turbine disc.
The separator, which improved previous versions of a similar technology, was originally designed for the Trent 500 but
didn’t make it on to the engine. However, its clever features have found its way onto later engines.
Many of Ian’s inventions – and indeed the inventions of most innovators – involve incremental improvements. While small
steps may not seem as important as headline-grabbing inventions, they’re still incredibly vital to our business; helping us
meet customer demand and improving the performance and efficiency of our engines.
Ian has had a varied career at Rolls-Royce, starting out in Controls before working as a development engineer dealing with
electrical systems, oil and fuel issues, then Transmissions, and spending time in Marine. He’s now an engineering and
technology specialist in Compressor Components and is an active participant in the company’s Innovation Portal and
Big Ideas Forums.
Dan Clark
Joined Rolls-Royce in 1998
Ian Care
Joined Rolls-Royce in 1990
“Find a sandpit where you can develop ideas,
identify applications and solve a problem
– don’t just invent for the sake of it.”
“Look at what you need to delight the customer and work out
how you can achieve that.”
Key patent
• EP1734136: patent for high-velocity inert gas heating for local heat treatment.
Key patents
• US6893478: patent for the air/oil separator.
• US7229252: patent for the locking plug that prevents relative rotation between a
retaining plate assembly and a turbine disc.
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A history of innovation
Innovation drives our business, and our technical achievements have continuously pushed engineering capabilities
to ever higher levels. Here’s a short guide to some of our most notable inventions of the past 85 years.
1930 1976 1977 1983 1995 1998 2009 2009 2011
The future
Gas turbine engine
Dr Alan Arnold Griffith
was the first person to
see the advantages of
employing an axial gas
turbine engine to drive
a propeller. He described
these principles in 1926
in his classic paper, An
Aerodynamic Theory of
Turbine Design.
However, it was Air
Commodore Sir Frank
Whittle who proposed
the turbojet engine. His
original idea (GB347206)
was to use a centrifugal
compressor and high-
speed exhaust gas in
place of a propeller. The
rest is history.
Twist tabs
When joining two sheets
of metal together, hot
processes can alter the
properties of the material.
Using a cold process –
such as forming a tab on
one sheet and a hole on
the other – is similarly
undesirable if the joint is
load bearing.
Jeffery Charles Bishop
came up with a much
more robust cold process
method (EP1097309)
involving a twisted tab
that locks the sheets in
place. A location feature
on the tab makes sure
the plates are correctly
positioned before the tab
is twisted. This invention
is used extensively in
fixtures and jigs, helping
us reduce materials and
manufacturing costs.
Syncrolift
Syncrolift is an elevator
that raises and lowers
ships in and out of the
water for dry docking.
In early designs of dry-
dock lifting platforms,
it was necessary to
unload the ship before
lifting it ashore. This was
time-consuming and
impractical. Raymond
Pearlson developed a
system (GB1586788)
that could account for
varying and unbalanced
loads, allowing ships to
be lifted whether loaded
or unloaded. This concept
was further developed
and improved by several
inventors, with some
of the inventions being
described in EP0542991
and EP0542994.
Environship
wave-piercing bow
We’re constantly striving
to improve the efficiency
of our ships. One such
example is the Environship
wave-piercing bow
(EP2285659) invented by
Per Egil Vedlog.
The design features a
bow with a vertical stem
for smooth entry into the
water. The unique hull
shape pierces through the
water rather than riding
over the top of a wave,
while the bulb contours
the shape of the waves
along the ship’s side to
reduce resistance. The
straight flare in the bow
design minimises speed
loss and slamming during
operation, contributing to
better fuel efficiency.
Rubber nose cone tip
Ideas don’t have to be
technically complex to
be groundbreaking. A
great example of this is
the rubber nose cone tip
(GB1557856). Invented by
Francis Pool – his one and
only patented invention
for Rolls-Royce – the
rubber tip prevents large
amounts of ice forming
on the nose cone, which
could then break up
and cause damage to
the engine. Before this
invention, complicated
heating systems were
used to prevent the ice
formation.
Diffusion bonding
and superplastic
forming method
improvement
We identified that the
process used to inflate
diffusion bonded and
superplastic formed
blades could lead
to distortion. Phil
Brennand and Richard
Jones came up with
alternative bonding
patterns (EP2223767
and EP2223766) of the
various blade layers,
which enabled the gas to
more reliably inflate the
blade without causing
distortion.
Magnetic chip
detector plug
Magnetic chip detectors
are used in oil systems
of gas turbine engines.
The quantity of metallic
particles clinging to the
detector is an indicator of
engine wear.
The detector sits within
a plug secured to the
gearbox. It’s essential
that there’s a fluid-tight
joint between the plug
and the gearbox, which
is achieved using O-ring
seals. However, there was
a problem of the O-ring
seals not being replaced
when the detector was
removed for inspection.
Gordon Charles Cooper
and Douglas Dawson
came up with the simple
but effective solution
(GB2146976) of modifying
the plug so that it could
not be secured without
the O-ring seals.
Linear friction
welding
contaminant
removal
Linear friction welding
can be used to connect
aerofoils to a disc to
form a blisk. The process
is often thought to
be self-cleaning, and
contamination could
potentially weaken
the bond between the
aerofoils and the disc.
Inventor Simon Bray
has devised alternative
weld parameters and
stub geometry that
can eliminate such
contaminants from
the weld joint. Simon’s
invention (EP2543463) is
currently going through
the patent application
process.
Band sawing
titanium block for
two halves of a fan
blade
Diffusion bonding and
super plastic forming is a
cost- and weight-effective
method of manufacturing
a fan blade for a gas
turbine engine. The blade
is formed from two face
sheets with a core sheet
sandwiched between
them.
Originally we were
manufacturing each face
sheet from a single block
of titanium alloy, resulting
in a large amount of
material waste. Frank
Trevor Salt recommended
cutting the block of
titanium alloy diagonally
so that both face sheets
could be made from a
single block. This simple
solution (GB2306353)
significantly reduced the
manufacturing cost of fan
blades.
