Glass fibre spring made by Harwell Laboratories, AEA, c1985

This glass fibre spring was made at Harwell in the mid 1980s as part of a Materials Science research project into the properties and applications of new materials. Scientists at Harwell Laboratories, AEA attempted to diversify from their atomic energy roots, this glassfibre spring being one of the results, alongside the development of carbonfibre materials widely used for aircraft an dsatellies as well as tennis rackets and other more everyday products. It is hoped that some accompanying information might be found about the spring. In the interim the supposition is that glass fibre research was conducted at Harwell due to its properties which include high chemical, corrosion and fatigue resistance. More research is needed into the development of the spring. Notable recent applications for glassfibre springs include their increasing use in automobile for suspension springs. The properties noted above give them considerable advantages over traditional steel springs.