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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 0875.PDF
AUGUST I, 1918. *•::..?• GAS-HEATED WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT IT is doubtful whether the full story of our aeronauticalsupremacy will ever be told. The details of leadership and labour that have led up to our success in the air are so wideand varied, embracing as thev do the services of so many important industries that it will be many years after the been of vital importance in securing that perfection of con-structional detail that has given us a lead over the enemy. Another popular gas-heated apparatus is the brazing-table(Fig. 3). It will be seen by the accompanying diagram that two adjustable gas and air blast blowpipes, each fitted with Fig. 1.—Gas-heated glue pot heater for aeronauticalworkshop use. Fig. 2.—"Richmond " gas-heated soldering iron heater. cessation of hostilities be/ore even any attempt can be madeto piece together the wonderful development of the service. Well to the fore in all our achievements are the industriesthat have answered the call for a better and larger output of workshop equipment with which to make that developmentpossible, and in this respect the gas industry has, among .others, undoubtedly rendered a remarkable service to thenation. The concrete advantages of gas-heated equipment as appliedto the innumerable industrial processes requiring heat are briefly as follows :—1. Quickly and easily installed, and operated with a mini- mum of labour.2. Easy and reliable control of temperatures. 3. Compact, self-contained, mobile, choice of positionpractically unlimited. 4. No stoking, no fuel to be transported or stored, noashes to be removed, much less time lost in waiting for appliance to heat up.5. A higher percentage of efficiency is obtained by the cleaner and more healthy working conditions prevailing.6. Fuel always available at standard calorific value. In practically every workshop that has been speciallyerected or " converted " for aero work, gas will be found rendering one service or another. Apart from its generalutilisation as a lighting media, gas is to-day being extensively- used for the numerous and complex heat-treating proposi-tions in connection with the manufacture of aero engines and various metal components. Of the remarkable successassociated with gaseous heating for this class of work, much has already been written, and a brief description of the smalleroperations performed by the aid of gas will be of interest. A " Richmond " gas-heated glue-pot heater that has provedvery successful is shown in Fig. 1. This type is made to take any number of pots of various capacity, each under separatecontrol, and the utility of this class of equipment will be at once apparent. A solid base and extended outer casingeliminate possibility of damage to bench or surrounding work. Gas is also used to advantage for the purpose of heatingsoldering irons, and here again any number of irons of any size can. be heated at one time. These heaters can, of course,be placed in close proximity to the work in hand, gas con- nection only being necessary. In one large factory forassembling aircraft over 100 of these heaters shown in Fig. 2 have recently been installed. These embody several novelfeatures making for higher efficiency and greater output. When the bits are placed into the stove the handle restsupon a special lever bar which automatically turns up the gas; when the bits are withdrawn the flame is reduced to apilot light. Provision is made at the top to take a pot for melting solder or glue. Although of a minor nature when the general constructionof a complete machine is considered, it is the various functions performed by equipment such as is above described that has flexible tube, are placed over a strong 3-inch fire-brick work-ing table. The blowpipes are adjustable to any position for repetition work, and the numerous uses to which the aero-nautical engineer can apply this type of " Richmond " equipment will at once appeal. These are but three of the minor operations performedby gas, and we are safe in saying that practically any heat Pig. 3.—Method of adjusting gas and air blastblowpipes over brazing table. treating proposition comes within the scope of gaseousheating, and the remarkable strides made during the past few years will amply repay the investigations of any manu-facturer who uses heat. ...
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