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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0430.PDF
430 FLIGHT, 1 April 1955 THE INDUSTRY Belfast Prize-giving TVTINETY apprentices of Short Bros, and Harland, Ltd.,-L^" received awards at the company's prize-day, held recently. Rear Admiral Sir Matthew Slattery, chairman and managingdirector, told the audience of relatives that the Short organiza- tion was insuring for the future by training boys who couldultimately become senior employees and executives. The com- pany were spending something like £30,000 a year on suchtraining; they were now building many things in addition to aircraft—guided missiles, for example—and wanted electricaland electronic engineers, physicists and metallurgists. Comparing the proportion of design personnel in the UnitedStates with that in the British aircraft industry, Sir Matthew said that while Short's and their associates the Bristol Aero-plane Company between them mustered about 2,000 people on the design side—omitting the engine division—one American air-craft organization had 6,000 on their design staff alone. From this it was obvious that there was plenty of scope for the boysthat Shorts were taking on. Mr. David Keith-Lucas, director and chief designer, announcedthat a prize in memory of the late Mr. A. W. S. Clarke, who was the company's chief engineer, would be awarded next year andwould be open to all Short Bros.' apprentices. The boys would be invited to submit an essay on any mechanical or aeronauticalsubject on which the company was engaged. Production of Rolled Sections TTNTIL recently, certain types of rolling and cold-forming^ equipment for profiling metal strip have been chiefly an American monopoly. Curiously enough, when a British firmof specialists in rolling and forming techniques began design and manufacture of machines of this kind—in response to a requestthat would reduce the exodus of dollars for American plant—one of the first practical results was the United Kingdom productionof steel sections for a patented American constructional framing system. The British firm are Daniel Smith, Ltd., Castle Iron Works,Peel Street, Wolverhampton, and it is their claim that the majority of leading British aircraft embody cold-rolled sections formed ontheir machines. Their "Multiyersal" rolling machines are made in ljin, 2in, 2iin, 3in and 4in sizes. There is, it is stated, virtuallyno limit to the number of stations that can be incorporated in one machine for the production of difficult or compound (includingseam-welded) sections. The constructional framing system referred to above, known as"Unistrut," is manufactured by Joseph Sankey, Ltd., at their Hadley, Shropshire, works. It is based on the use of steel channelsection lfin square, cold-rolled from 12 s.w.g. material and avail- able in 10ft and 20ft standard lengths. It is treated with a rust-proofing material and stove-enamelled olive green; hot-dip gal- vanized finish is also available. A range of fittings, together withpatented locking nuts permits unlimited variety of assemblies. The system also includes a range of clips and clamps to accom-modate pipe or cable from fin to 8in diameter, fittings being attached to the channel section without drilling or welding.Another variety of "Unistrut" consists of standard channel section modified for insertion in concrete to provide anchorages for pipeclamps and other fittings on walls and ceilings. Mr. Thomas P. Collier, of Chicago, appointed exclusive representative of the Plessey Co., Ltd., in the U.S.A. He is an engineer with long experi- ence in international trade. Mr. A. I. O. Davies, who be- comes technical sales manager of Smiths Aircraft Instruments, Ltd., in succession to the late Mr. G. T. Perkins. He joined the technical sales staff in 1947. At Short Bros, and Harland's apprentice prize-giving (reported in Column 1): Lady Slattery presents an award to apprentice G. A. W. Moore; on the left is Mr. 0. Carlile, assistant apprentice supervisor. Mr. David Crombie ON March 22nd, only a month before he was due to retire,Mr. David Crombie, head buyer of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's engine division, lost his life in a road accident. Employed during World War I on the production of heavyguns by William Beardmore and Co., he made his first contact with the aircraft industry in 1916, when he became assistant tothe manager in charge of a contract for the Beardmore Dragonfly engine. In 1919, Mr. Crombie left to manage a small Birminghamengineering and foundry plant, but returned to his old firm just over two years later, working on aero engines and diesel enginesfor airships. He went to the Bristol engine division as chief buyer in October 1928. He leaves a widow and three children. • . I Epoxy Resins for Foundry Patterns THE versatile epoxy resins are now being produced for makingplastic patterns. Aero Research, Ltd., of Duxford, Cam- bridge, who are responsible for the development of "Araldite"casting resin M for pattern-making, state that shrinkage on setting is very low indeed, and quite negligible when fillers are used.It is also claimed that the hardened resin is tough, durable and dimensionally stable. The material sets cold in 24 hours, orin a shorter time if gentle heat is applied. The introduction of the epoxies into this field is expected toarouse considerable interest in foundries, and should contribute significantly towards reducing production costs. IN BRIEF Recent publications of Jenks Brothers, Ltd., Britool Works,Wolverhampton, include a conversion table (leaflet No. 463/1) for nut tightening torque data. Tables are for foot pounds to metrekilogrammes, inch pounds to centimetre kilogrammes, and vice versa. * * * Additional information concerning die New Welbeck vacuumcleaners referred to in our issue of February 25 th is that the range includes 24-volt machines which can be operated from batterieson airfield vehicles. ..-•.- * •* •.••• -« .••- •..._•. ';;"..::::-.r.:•. .--•• • Mr. K. Zdziarski, M.I.Ex., manager of the export sales divisionof Auto Diesels, Ltd., left England on March 24th for a four-month tour of South America. He will be strengthening existing agencyarrangements and appointing new agents in ten South American countries and also in Trinidad and Jamaica. * * * Export Packing Service, Ltd., have added a packing designand development department to their Chipping Warden (near Banbury) centre. Operating on the same lines as the designsection opened last October at the company's main centre at Sittingbourne, the new department will give Midlands manu-facturers a specialized service for the study of packing, transit and storage problems. * * * Lord Kershaw, O.B.E., J.P., has been appointed chairman ofthe two major companies in the group now being developed by Mr. H. W. Bowen, O.B.E., M.I.Mech.E., who last year acquiredthe business of High Pressure Components, Ltd. Since then Mr. Bowen has taken over Sun Engineering (Richmond), Ltd.,and its subsidiary, Davies Coleman, Ltd.; he will continue as deputy chairman of the group and managing director of H.P.C.;and Sir Wolstan Dixie, a director of H.P.C. and Sun Engineering, will continue as general manager of the former company.
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