JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #92 - October/November 2014 - 29

Fig. 3: Damon Roberts, Chief Technical
Officer

- Chief Technical
Advisor Damon Roberts,
a global expert in advanced composites, manu
facturing techniques and
load analysis of major engineering structures. He is
also a pioneer in fibre
optic strain monitoring
systems.
On top of the scope of
their resumés, they seem to
really know their business
when they explain what
they are doing. Given the
size of the parts and the
cost of the raw materials,
there is no room for a lack
of precision.
Most of the projects under
their management are prototypes. These can come
with twists and turns like
having to redesign parts
on location to adapt lifting
components, since no crane
would otherwise be capable
of lifting the parts. In that
case, the logistic limits
are reached simply by the
very size of the parts to be
lifted. Unfortunately, the
confidential nature of most
of their projects prevents
us from going into further
detail.
Magma Structures currently
employs some 120 people
(Fig.4), including about
twenty engineers working
solely on the structural de-

Fig. 4: The Magma Structure's team

sign of parts, and 81 working in production.
Clive Johnson is proud of
his team: "Our unparalleled
structural engineering expertise, together with our flexible manufacturing resources
and processes, means that
we are in an ideal position to
build large, ground-breaking
carbon fibre structures. The
technical detail and design
complexities of the projects in
build are exciting prospects
for both our employees and
customers, and for the composites sector as a whole."

... in a wide array
of applications
Three rather emblematic
projects that, even though
they preceded the creation
of Magma Structures, still
highlight the company's
capacities:
- The Wind Wand, designed
by architect Ron Arad, has
been on view at London's
Canary Wharf since 2000.
It consists of a huge, asymmetric mast embedded with
lights and is built out of
E-glass with local carbon
fibre tapes. The needlethin, 50-metre-high Wind
Wand has been designed
to flex gently in the wind

and illuminate the shopping mall below. Except for
fishing poles, it is quite rare
to see a composite structure
especially designed to bend.
- The 127-metre-high
Glasgow Science Centre
Millenium Tower. This
aerofoil-shaped tower holds
the Guinness World Record
for being the world' tallest
tower in which the whole
structure is capable of rotating 360 degrees.
- The Maltese Falcon's
masts. This 88-metre luxury
yacht features the largest
free-standing carbon rig
in the world to date. The
three free-standing carbon

fibre masts, which stand 58
metres tall, are able to rotate and carry 15 sails. The
masts are each embedded
with 96 fibre optic sensors
to monitor the load when
sailing. The Maltese Falcon
has sailed over 100,000
miles and executed more
than 10,000 individual
sail sets in all weather and
sea conditions, without
any failures. According to
William Roeseler, a Boeing
Technical Fellow in Composites and Structural Engineering at Boeing Aircraft
Corporation, these masts
constitute a more advanced
technology breakthrough
than any other aerospace
composite application
(Fig.5).

Current capacities
and projects
Magma Structures proposes
a comprehensive offering,
from consulting to structural design, prototyping,
testing and monitoring of
structures throughout their
life span, including during
transport and installation.
All of these services are
in compliance with the

Fig. 5: The Maltese Falcon

No92 October - November 2014 /

jec composites magazine 29
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #92 - October/November 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #92 - October/November 2014
