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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 0922.PDF
ENTRY the trouble of change-over. Machines were laboriously "dug out," shafting and belts altered, new extensions built, and so on. The 124,010 square feet of floor area in the new Alvis works is carefully plamed to allow for large-scale production at a later date with a minimum of trouble and alteration. All the machines are motor-driven and stand on the wood block floors. Separate fuse boxes and leads for each machine can be plugged into the overhead, centrally controlled main. The roof of the shop is 3 ft. to 4 ft. higher than normal, and this, coupled with the lack of over head obstructions, means ex ceedingly light and airy work ing conditions. The arrangement of the de partments and position of the 350 or so machines, mostly of the latest standard design, is clearly shown in the plan on the next page but one. The heat-treatment depart ment is equipped entirely with the latest Birlec furnaces, and quenching tanks, where neces sary, are directly in front of the furnaces. An interesting point is that each furnace has beside it the foundations for a second similar furnace when the need for it arises. The chemical laboratory, which is regarded as a part of the works, is seen from the plan to be centrally placed. All stores materials are subjected to the usual routine tests. Beside the chemical laboratory is the physical depart ment, in which may be seen a flexion fatigue-testing machine, an N.P.L. combined fatigue and torsion machine, and a 10-ton alloy and 50-ton steel tensile machine; with these there are the normal impact and Brinell hardness testers. Alvis have their own material specifications which fulfil all Air Ministry requirements and are within even stricter limits of their own. - A neat arrangement of inspection is employed whereby a bank of large pigeon-holes forms the wall between tables KEEPING THE NOISE AT HOME. Better than words : In the drawing, and in the plan inset above, our artist conveys details of the construction of the " twin-shell " Alvis test house, of its equipment and of the arrangement of the various brake, starting and cooling units. and outside corridor, and passed-off articles placed in the compartments are withdrawn from the outside and cause no congestion. Besides the usual visual inspection test there is the '' Magnafiux '' crack test, in which ferrous parts are highly magnetised and coated with a special detecting ink ; as even microscopic cracks take up oppo site polarity the deposit in the ink is attracted along the line of the crack, which then becomes clearly visible ; the part is finally de-magnetised. A number of Zeiss precision instruments are used, including a tool-room microscope for observing threads, gauges, jigs and tool forms, and there is also a Vickers thread projector for comparative inspection, and an apparatus for checking pitch and form of all gears. At one end of the department crankshafts are balanced, using special weights in place of the rod and piston assembly. Between stores and inspection department is located the tool room and the Genevoise—a separate compartment for two Swiss precision boring machines. Over part of the inspection bay are the works offices, from which a view of all depart ments in the main building can be obtained. There are four Alvis engine-testing divisions, namely, the experimental single-cylinder bed (beside which are foundations prepared for other such beds); a supercharger and acces sories test, again ready for duplication; a most The first Alvis Pelides engine on test. The major departures from Gnome-Rhone prac tice that are externally visible—accessories and forked induction pipes—are at once apparent in this photograph I50H.B RUNNIi & STO MOTO
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