FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1939
1939 - 0685.PDF
FLIGHT. MARCH Q, 1939 PR QQ POW Assaying Bristol Engines Before Delivery : Modern Test Equipment [Illustrated with "Flight" photographs) BATCHES of Hercules, Taurus and Perseus sleeve-valve radial engines, destined for some of the mosi advanced military aircraft in the world, are already issuing from the Filton works of the Bristol Aero plane Company side by side with the latest marks of the Pegasus poppet-valve type. Mercury production has been passed almost entirely to the shadow factories. Coming through the Bristol works are various models of the Perseus for installation in the LysaJider II army co-operation machine, in the Skua II fleet-fighter dive bomber and in the even more recently developed machines ; Pegasus of a two-speed supercharged type for Hampden and Wellington twin engined bombers; and Hercules and Taurus fourteen-cylinder units intended for the "heavy stuff" and for super-performance bombers and fighters. Every week dozens of these high-powered radials are " boxed-up " on the test beds for routine testing. The latest dynamometer test houses are of the fully enclosed type, and are being supplemented by a number of cable- suspended stands of similar design for testing engines with v.p. airscrews. They are located near the main engine production fac tory and are characterised by comfortable working condi tions, a low noise level and simplicity of operation. Each contains two test beds with a control room between. Even when two engines, each of over a thousand h.p., are on test simultaneously, the noise in the control room is just a suppressed droning rather than a merciless, nerve-racking roar. The absence of air pulsations is another pleasant surprise for those acquainted only with the older type of test stand. At one end of each engine room is an intake tunnel for the cooling air and at the other an exhaust tunnel, with a system of specially shaped sound-absorbing panels. Each room has independent inner and outer walls which rest on separate foundations and, being of the cavity type, present four thicknesses of brickwork and three air spaces between the interior of the test house and the atmosphere The control room, with its duplicated panels of dials, flowmeters, boost gauges, etc., is a joy to behold. The Blenheim high-speed bombers fitted with 840 h.p. Bristol Mercury VIII engines awaiting delivery from the company's Filton aerodrome water sluices of the dynamometers are operated by electric motors through a remote control system. A large observa tion window of armoured triple glass directly above each control panel permits each engine on test to be kept under close scrutiny, even details of the rear cover being visible in a mirror hung on the far wall of the test room. Each test house is operated under the supervision of an inspector with a crew of six men. Except when running adjustments make it necesary to enter the engine room (using respirators as a precaution against carbon-monoxide if one of the large engines is running under power) the test is controlled from the panel with the following equipment: Throttle, mixture and slow-running cut-out; five oil thermometers, two oil-pressure gauges: two air thermo- On the left is a Perseus at the running-in stage. From the running-in shop the engines are transported to the test bed, as shown above
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
