Grace's Guide
British Industrial History
Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 148,459 pages of information and 233,880 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.
Aero Research
From Graces Guide
of Duxford, Cambs.
1934 Dr N. A. de Bruyne set up a private, independent company to investigate the use of synthetic resin materials in aircraft construction, supported by the Aeronautical Research Committee and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research[1]
1937 Aeronautical development and research work. Aerolite Plastics.[2]
Initial applications were sought in propeller blades, and later in wing spars using various reinforcing fibres including cellulose and linen[3]. Their range of epoxy resin adhesives increasingly became used in aircraft construction in place of riveted assemblies
1938 Invented and patented honeycomb construction[4]
1939 See Aircraft Industry Suppliers
De Havilland used the adhesives in its Mosquito and Sea Hornet aircraft. Also used by Airspeed in construction of its Horsa gliders.
1942 Introduced Redux for bonding aircraft structures[5]; these were later used in the Comet
1948 Major interest in the company acquired by Ciba
1957 Redux Adhesives. Araldite epoxy resins.
By 1957 50 types of aircraft, from guided missiles to large, turbo-jet airliners, used Redux bonding.
1960 Ciba acquired the rest of the company - Ciba (A.R.L)[6]