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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0264.PDF
262 FLIGHT, 27 February 1953 THE INDUSTRY Apprentices at Acton— THE eighth annual presentation of indentures and awards to apprentices of D. Napier and Son, Ltd., took place at Acton recently. This company, like many others in the aircraft industry, is able to show extremely good progress in the training of appren tices, reflected in the fact that the total apprentice strength has been doubled during a recent period of twelve months. About fifteen months ago, Napiers reorganized their training school, in order to permit an increase in apprentice strength to 180 by the end of 1952; in fact, last year was completed with 265 apprentices of all grades, of which 36 were graduates, 47 students, and 182 craft apprentices. Equally assuring is the fact that wastage of appren tices is now small. The Company's Trophy was awarded to R. L. Allan and the foremen's Trophy to C H. Tucker. Certificates of merit went to these two and also to J. M. Kent and M. R. Eden (student appren tices) and R. Hardy, F. C. Groom, E. G. Culver and M. C. R. Brown (trade apprentices). Merit awards totalling £439 in value were given to 82 apprentices. —and in the Isle of Wight FROM the Isle of Wight we learn that the Saunders-Roe training school at Osborne also had a very successful year. Fifty-six students of the school entered for various examinations during IQ 52, 35 °f whom passed. Especially noteworthy results were achieved by D. Fletcher (S.B.A.C. scholarship to Cranfield), R. J. Arnold and N. T. Green (industrial scholarship to University College, Southampton), P. Amer (B.Sc, Engineering), and B. A. Kerry (Intermediate B.Sc., Engineering). A Williamson Celebration SOME 250 members and guests of the Williamson Manufactur ing Co., Ltd., attended the firm's 47th annual dinner, held in London on February 13th. Mr. Colin Williamson, the chairman of the company—who is on a business visit to Australia—sent to the assembled guests a recorded greeting, which was played back over the loud-speaker system and almost gave the impression of his presence at the party. In a brief speech, Mr. John Odle, joint managing director, reviewed the company's progress. In spite of the large amount of Government work which they had in hand, he said, it had not been necessary to turn away a single civil order. Much of the credit must go to Mr. G. L. Chapman for getting the new Reading factory going so well, and—with the support of Mr. E. W. Sparkes and the rest of the staff—increasing production at Willesden. The firm had heavy responsibilities in the production of new designs of cameras for the R.A.F. Power to the Industrial Elbow RECENTLY demonstrated to officials of the Admiralty, the Air Ministry and the Ministry of Supply were three new tools in the range of torque-control appliances made by the Acratork Engineering Co., Ltd., Cory's Buildings, Cardiff. The three were an hydraulic torque generator for torque loads up to 2,000 lb ft; a large version of the standard Acratork spanner for loads of up to 500 lb ft; and a miniature torque-spanner for loads of up to 36 lb in. The hydraulic torque-generator demonstrated was a prototype developed initially for the accurately controlled tightening of air screw hub nuts, but the production tool will be adaptable to many other applications where torque loads of up to 2,000 lb ft are required. The basic unit consists of a hydraulic cylinder, to the piston of which is attached a chain; the other extremity of the chain is wrapped round a sprocket splined to the operating shaft, one end of which carries the operating square for engagement with the hub nuts. When oil pressure is applied by means of a hand- operated pump, the piston is forced along the cylinder and the shaft is revolved through the medium of the chain and sprocket. A pressure gauge mounted on the pump unit gives a direct reading, in lb ft, of the actual torque load transmitted to the nut. The ratio between piston area and sprocket diameter is such that the gauge reading also represents lb/sq in on the piston surface. This, of course, means that any pressure gauge of the correct range and accuracy may be used, in the event of the one supplied with the hydraulic generator being damaged. This fact also per mits the checking of the gauge on a dead-weight tester. Mounted on the shaft behind a freely rotating pilot sleeve is a clutch designed to engage the airscrew hub nut, and attached to the body of the cylinder is a jaw member which holds the unit in position on the hub. By the use of suitably designed jaw members, the unit is readily adaptable to other uses. Torque can be reversed by removing four nuts and a locknut; The prototype Acratork hub-nut tool described on this page. the cylinder body can then be reassembled in reverse on to the torque reactor, the shaft reinserted on the opposite side, and the nuts replaced. After each application of the generator, the piston is returned to zero by means of a tommy-bar inserted at the rear end of the shaft. It is stated that the complete operation of apply ing the desired load to one airscrew nut can be carried out by two fitters in about five minutes. The prototype illustrated was designed to operate with a separate pump, but in production it is intended to mount the pump directly on to the cylinder to form one compact unit. The second new tool, the 500 lb ft spanner, follows the same design as the existing range of Acratork hand spanners, but the entire construction has been scaled up to take the increased load without distortion or undue stress on the working parts. Develop ment is proceeding with a view to increasing the power of the spanner to 1,000 lb ft. Overall length of the tool is 4ft, and pro vision is made for the insertion of a tube into the handle to give added leverage when necessary for the higher torque loads. The miniature spanner is designed for such duties as repetition work on assembly lines in light industry. Although it is designed on the same cam-operated principle of the standard Acratork spanners, it differs in so far as it has a flat cam and, as the cam and spring-housing form the handle, can be operated conveniently in a confined space. The manufacturers claim that the miniature model, like their other torque spanners, cannot be overloaded; it therefore retains its accuracy for long periods of continuous opera tion within the recommended torque range of up to 36 lb in. IN BRIEF N OW under training in the Fairey factories are two Common wealth students who have been awarded scholarships: P. B. Church, from Canada, here under the Athlone Fellowship scheme, and Ian Buchan, from Australia, who has begun two years' training under the F.B.I. Overseas Scholarship scheme. * * * Applications for 1953 Mond Nickel Fellowships are now invited. Details of the awards, which enable successful applicants —not necessarily students of metallurgy—to receive industrial training, are obtainable from The Secretary, Mond Nickel Fellow ships Committee, 4, Grosvenor Gardens, London, S.W.I. * * * Specialloid, Ltd., and the Aero Piston Ring Co., Ltd., announce that Mr. Peter B. Higgins, A.C.A., A.M.I. Prod. E., M.Inst.M., has been appointed to the boards of both companies. Mr. R. H. Hainsworth, director and general manager, is appointed managing director of Specialloid, Ltd., and Mr. T. O. Hunt, chief designer and technical manager, becomes a technical director of that company. * * * David Brown Tractors, Ltd., are at present executing an R.C.A.F. order for a fleet of aircraft tractors; some are going to Canada and others will be used by the R.C.A.F. in this country. The tractors, which (with their 7,ooolb drawbar pull) can handle the largest aircraft at present in service, have a six-position towing hitch at the rear and a single hitch at the front, and there is also a i5,ooolb line winch. * -* * In our issue of February 13th there appeared a note on the project for the erection of a wind-driven generator for the British Electricity Authority. It should be added that Enfield Cables, Ltd., did not only supply the cables : their engineers had for some time past been studying the possibilities of wind power, and they were, in fact, responsible for the whole conception of the machine. The aircraft firms mentioned were the principal sub-contractors, and also contributed valuable suggestions.
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