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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0416.PDF
414 FLIGHT THE INDUSTRY New Electrostatic Fuel Gauge ONE of the first electrostatic-type fuel gauges used in aircraft was the Waymouth instrument. It is now widely used in installations where there is no reliable alternative to 24-volt D.C. electrical supply. Such a low-voltage supply does, however, impose limitations on the functioning of electronic apparatus, so Smiths Aircraft Instruments, Ltd., have for some time past been develop ing alternative systems. They have no intention of superseding the Waymouth gauge for small-aircraft applications, in which it has proved reliable and satisfactory, but they desire to take advantage of the 400-cycle power supplies—now generally available on big aircraft—to measure large quantities of fuel with increased accuracy. Several Smith executives visited the United States to study systems in use there and, as a result, arrangements have been made with the Liquidometer Corporation, Long Island City, N.Y., for the manufacture and sale in this country of an electro static gauge that will fulfil such requirements. This new gauge is based on the principle of the self-balancing capacitance bridge, and includes a means of compensating for fuel characteristics. Thus it can measure with accuracy the weight of fuel in an aircraft, even though the fuel may vary in quality. The fact that the electrical measurements are made by a self- balancing bridge implies that the accuracy is independent of such variables as supply voltage, frequency and valve characteristics. The result, it is stated, is a gauge with an accuracy which, in favourable conditions, may be of the order of 1 per cent or, under the worst conditions, 3 per cent. It is claimed that the slight increase in complexity and weight is more than counterbalanced by the saving in reserve fuel made possible by the high precision of reading. The system is also capable of adaptation for other functions, such as the control of fuel distribution both in flight and during re-fuelling. There is also considerable versatility in layout. King Aircraft Celebrate AS briefly recorded last week, King Aircraft Corporation • recently held their twelfth anniversary celebration in Glasgow. Some 60 people from all branches of the aircraft industry were guests of the Corporation. Before a dinner and dance on the Saturday evening, the guests were taken for a tour of the works at Hillington, where, in addition to seeing the ramjet helicopter which we described last week, they were able to inspect a variety of work. Items included the well- known King toggle fastener, of which there are now over 20,000 on order, welded-tube chairs for B.E.A., pipe valves for atomic work at Harwell, flexible couplings for fuel lines, a new crash- release harness (utilizing the Sturge Whiting coupling described in our issue of June 27th, 1952) and a new automatic-locking inspection plate which lies flush with the surface but can easily be released, even by a gloved hand, no screwdriver being required. At dinner in the evening the chairman and managing director, Mr. J. McEwan King—lately back from a protracted and rewarding visit to the United States—was in the chair. Sir Patrick Dollan, the principal speaker, recalled the time when King Aircraft operated in a "dunney." A dunney, he explained, is a basement room "in which washing is done when the landlord is not looking." KING AIRCRAFT CORPORATION'S BOARD: Mr. T. G. Uewhellin, Miss Y. Harland (secretary), Mr. J. McEwan King and Mr. J. Love. Sir Patrick, who is chairman of the Scottish Advisory Council for Civil Aviation, quoted some interesting figures. In 1952, he said, 485,000 passengers used Scottish airports, compared with 10,000 in 1939; and during the war 24,000 Rolls-Royce Merlin engines had been built at Hillington alone. There were now, he pointed out, ten Scottish factories making aircraft and parts. On the following day the guests were taken for a run through the Highlands, in glorious weather. The route lay through the Trossachs to the Falls of Leny and to Killin, where lunch was taken—with local salmon and local brew. After lunch the route homeward to Glasgow was by way of Glen Dochart, Glen Falloch and a long run down the western shores of the beautiful Loch Lomond. Tea was taken at Tarbet and the journey down Loch Long was in the gathering dusk. Altogether a memorable celebration. Temperature-Indicating Pigments WELL-PRODUCED booklets are being issued by Allied Colloids (Bradford), Ltd., 11 Great St. Thomas Apostle, Queen Street, London E.C.4, describing a range of temperature- sensitive paints and crayons for which they hold British marketing rights. The range is that well known under the names "Thermo- colour" and "Thermochrom" and manufactured by B.A.S.F., Ludwigshafen. The former product is supplied in the form of a powder which is dissolved in spirit before application to the part under examina tion. When the paint reaches a fixed, specified temperature its colour changes immediately and completely, and usually remains in the "changed" state after cooling. Some of the Thermocolours undergo one change, and others several changes, occurring at various temperatures between 40 and 820 deg C. Thermochrom crayons, which are supplied in boxes of 12 or 15, behave in a similar manner and cover the range 65 to 670 deg C. in fifteen stages. The heated object is marked with a suitable crayon and, if the temperature is that corresponding to the colour- change, the mark will react in one or two seconds. An immediate reaction denotes that the temperature has exceeded that appropriate to the crayon. The object to be tested should, in the case of the crayons, be heatsd before marking. Temperature-sensitive indicators of this nature can also be used for a number of specialist inspections such as, for example, the examination of castings for homogeneity. By painting the sus pected surface and heating the opposite side of the casting evenly, blow-holes, solid particles and sponginess down to 0.066 mm diameter can be detected. A derivation of this procedure is the heating of a turbine-blade root, the sensitive paint showing the progression of heat throughout the blade. Such procedures are claimed to be more accurate than X-ray or ultrasonic methods. IN BRIEF First of a new series of publications by T.I. Aluminium, Ltd., of Tyseley, Birmingham, Materials and Fabrication deals with the various types of T.I. alloys and discusses their properties, heat treatment and fabrication. The brochure is well produced and illustrated and will be followed by others dealing with specialized applications of aluminium alloys. * * * British Insulated Callender's Cables, Ltd., announce the forma tion of a subsidiary company in Australia, under the title "British Insulated Callender's Cables (Australia) Pry., Ltd." Authorized capital is £ A 1,000,000, of which £A400,ooo has been issued, and the registered office is at 84/88 William Street, Melbourne, C.I., Victoria, with branches in other Australian States. Sir T. Malcolm Ritchie, M.I.E.Aust., will be chairman. * * •* Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Co., Ltd., have created a new post of general works manager of all works and model-shops of the company; it will be filled by Mr. Robert Telford, A.M.I.E.E., formerly assistant to the general manager. Mr. J. P. Wykes, A.M.I.E.E., will continue as works manager of the Chelmsford Works, and Mr. E. B. Greenwood, A.M.I.E.E., has been appointed works manager of a new factory now being built at Basildon New Town, Essex. * * * From Chamberlain Industries, Ltd., Staffa Works, London, E.io, come details of the latest addition to their range of tube- bending machines. Hand-operated, the new "Truset" machine embodies a new design of back-stop which makes it possible to achieve close-proximity bends without fear of the work slipping or suffering distortion. Offset right- and left-hand bends of we.i beyond 180 deg can be produced.
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