Strut comprising composite cylinder with a mid-strut fitting

A method of mounting a mid-strut fitting onto a composite cylinder to form a strut, comprising:

• installing a formation during a lay-up of filaments which are being placed to form a wall of the cylinder, the formation being positioned in a mid-portion of said cylinder;
• placing layers of helical-filaments to build up the wall of the cylinder including placing layers of helical-filaments over the formation, the overlaying helical-filaments being displaced radially-outward compared to a remainder of the cylinder by the underlying formation in the mid-portion of the cylinder to provide an interface region for a mid-strut fitting, wherein a wall thickness of the cylinder in the interface region is greater than a wall thickness in a remainder of the cylinder on either side of the interface region so as to provide an enlarged outer diameter for the cylinder at the interface region;
• and
• mounting said mid-strut fitting onto said cylinder by sliding the mid-strut fitting into an interference fit with the interface region of the cylinder without damaging the cylinder on either side of the interface region and by engaging a plurality of teeth provided on an inner circumferential surface of the mid-strut fitting into said interface region to provide a mechanical connection between the mid-strut fitting and the composite cylinder.