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Aviation History
1928
1928 - 1166.PDF
DECEMBER 20, 1928 SOLID DRAWN TUBING FOR AIRCRAFT Metal Construction Facilitated by Tube Manufacturers' Art BROADLY speaking, it may be said that in the process of development of all-metal aircraft construction which has resulted from the Air Ministry's decision to insist on replacing wood by metal, British aircraft firms have become divided into two " schools " one of which has decided to make use, wherever possible, of structural members formed from metal strip into a number of different sections, while the other has elected to make the fullest possible use of metal in tubular form, readily obtainable from old-established firms with a quarter of a century's experience in the production of metal tubes. It would be extremely difficult to express an opinion, even were it desirable to do so, as to which of the two '' schools" is following the better policy, if indeed there is much to choose between them. The subject is one of considerable complica- tion, and it would appear that ultimately the final decision should be largely governed by considerations of mass produc- tion at a time of emergency. In the case of the firms which rely mainly upon sections formed from strip, a larger and It is, perhaps, doubtful whether many general users of steel tubing have ever stopped to consider the actual extent to which they are indebted to the maker of the tubing. A piece of steel tubing is apt to be regarded—well, simply as a piece of steel tubing, or even as " a piece of gas piping. How much care has gone into its manufacture from the time it started life as a " bloom " until it is despatched to the user is a question which probably few have troubled to ask. Yet the art of tube manufacture is by no means an easy one, and requires very specialised knowledge and experience. Among British tube manufacturers who have been pro- ducing steel tubing for bicycles, motor cycles and motor cars for more than a quarter of a century, and who have flow seriously laid themselves out to cater for the very special and difficult requirements of aircraft constructors, few can claim a better record than the Reynolds Tube Company, Ltd., of Tyseley, Birmingham. It is now more than 25 years ago that this firm introduced the special patented " butted IN THE HAY HALL WORKS OF THE REYNOLDS TUBE COMPANY AT TYSELEY, BIRMINGHAM Above, some of the large drawbenches. Below, the annealing and pickling plant. more expensive plant is required, but the supply from outside the actual works is confined to the strip used. On the other hand, the aircraft constructor who prefers to use solid drawn tube for the majority of his structural members requires but a relatively small plant, but relies upon the tube manufacturer to supply his material. In describing metal aircraft recently we have dealt, perhaps, more extensively with strip construction than with tube. This is not because we necessarily regard the former as being the better type, but is merely a result of circum- stances, it having happened that such machines as have become available for detail description and illustration have chanced to employ mainly strip construction. Tubular con- struction is, however, becoming very popular also, and the raising by the Air Ministry of the ban on welding will doubt- less do much to increase this popularity, although naturally the use of tubing in aircraft construction is by no means confined to metals which can be welded. tube " joint which later became so extensively used in the construction of bicycles. This so-called butted or reinforced joint makes use of a gradual thickening of the actual walls of the tube end, thus overcoming the weakness that arises when a plain tube is slipped over a hollow plug end. The change of section becomes gradual instead of sudden, and fracture at this point is avoided. Perhaps it would not be entirely incorrect to ascribe to this early beginning the later greatness of the House of Reynolds, for much of their subse- quent work has been connected with the production of single or double butted tubing and taper gauge tubing. In fact, a visit to the Tyseley works indicates that there is practically no end to what can be done with steel tubing. Tubes tapering in diameter and thickness, tubes of all manner of sections, straight tubes and tubes bent to the most weird shapes, are to be found in huge quantities in the large stocks always carried by this firm. Some of the tubular parts for motor cycles, for instance, give one the impression that the 1072
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