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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 1115.PDF
17 August 1956 " - THE INDUSTRY W. R. McLachlan Orenda President THE chairman of Orenda Engines, Ltd., and president andgeneral manager of A. V. Roe Canada, Ltd., Mr. Crawford Gordon, Jr., has announced the appointment of Mr. Walter R.McLachlan as president of Orenda Engines, Ltd. Mr. Gordon himself previously held this post. Mr. McLachlan, formerly vice-president and general manager,retains his duties as general manager. He joined Orenda in 1953 and is a director of the company and of A. V. Roe Canada, Ltd.He was born at Leeds, Yorkshire, in 1904 and was educated at public and high schools in Toronto. Periscopic Inspection FROM P. W. Allen and Co., of Liverpool Road, London, N.I,comes information on new Bodson periscopes, for which they are sole agents in the U.K. These inspection instruments canbe employed in situations where visual observation is • difficult or dangerous, and among suggested uses for them are studyingmodels in wind tunnels or aircraft controls while test flying. Normal diameter of the periscopes is approximately 1.2in, theirtotal maximum length approximately 25ft. A variety of bends can be introduced, giving a field of view of 45 deg-50 deg; butmagnifications up to eight times are possible if the angle of view is reduced to 6 deg. Testing Refueller Filters TLLUSTRATED below is a full-scale test-rig which the British-*• Petroleum Co., Ltd., have installed at their Sunbury research station in order to study flow and separation efficiencies of thefilters employed in their aircraft refuelling equipment. To eliminate unwanted foreign matter (as distinct from arti-ficial contaminant) all pipe-lines are made from glass or tinned steel, and the storage tanks, each with a capacity of 1,000 gal,are made from stainless steel. The fuel is pumped by a Pegson centrifugal unit with electric motor drive and is capable ofvariable rates of flow up to 260 Imp. gal/min. Rate of flow and total fuel passed on test is indicated on an Avery-Hardoll flow-meter and an integrating meter. Tests are carried out to a standard technique with 1,000 galof aviation turbine fuel, either by re-cycling from one tank or by transferring from one tank to the other. An auxiliary filter isincluded in the system for pre-cleaning the kerosine and during a test the required measured quantity of artificial contaminant isintroduced into one tank, raised into uniform suspension by pump- ing from one tank to the other several times, and then passedthrough the test filter. Samples of feed and filtrate are taken by pitot-tube immediately ahead of and downstream of the filter,and facilities are provided for measuring the line pressure and differential pressure across the filter during the test.In addition to the assessment of filters, the rig is also used for water-separator efficiency tests. The B.P. filter test-rig described above. 261 Visitors from Canada: Examining components of the Orion turboprop engine during their recent visit to Bristol Aero-Engines, Ltd., are Mr. Douglas James of Orenda Engines, Ltd. (centre), and (on the right), Mr. Earl Busby. With them are (left to right) Mr. W. E. Wright, chief planning engineer (production) and Mr. W. C. Edmunds, chief planning engineer (development), Bristol Aero-Engines, Ltd.; and Mr. Jack Schettler of Bristol Aircraft (Western), Ltd., Winnipeg. Bristol Appointments "pROM Bristol Aircraft, Ltd., comes an announcement of two-*- new appointments to their Board. Mr. T. B. Pritchard be- comes financial director and Mr. G. E. Knight commercialdirector. Mr. Pritchard, who has been chief accountant of the Bristol Aeroplane Co., Ltd., since January 1953 is succeeded inthat position by Mr. G. A. Harrison, previously assistant chief accountant. Mr. Knight, who has been secretary of Bristol Air-craft, Ltd., since its formation in September 1955 is succeeded by Mr. A. D. Cawse, previously secretary of the Weston Divisionof Bristol Aircraft, Ltd. Mr. G. Hanby, secretary of Bristol Cars, Ltd., takes over thesecretaryship of the Weston Division from Mr. Cawse; and Mr. Hanby has been succeeded by Mr. F. S. Derham, who has beenworks accountant of Bristol Cars, Ltd., since November last year. Mr. T. B. Pritchard, who is 42, joined the Bristol AeroplaneCo., Ltd., in August 1952 and was appointed chief accountant in the following January. Before the war he was engaged on pro-fessional work as a chartered accountant, partly in South Wales and partly in Spain and Portugal. After demobilization from theArmy, he joined a London firm of accountants. Mr. G. E. Knight, who is 35, joined the aircraft division of theBristol Aeroplane Co., Ltd., in 1953 as assistant divisional secre- tary, becoming divisional secretary in 1955. He was appointedsecretary of Bristol Aircraft, Ltd., on its formation in 1955. Precision Electrics THAT precise control equipment requires precise manufactureis well understood at the two factories at Willesden and North Acton, where Vatric (Control Equipment), Ltd., are ablybacked by Vatric (Precision Tools), Ltd., in the quantity pro- duction of a range of small A.C. and D.C. electric motors, D.C.generators and reduction gearboxes. The constant demand for ever-smaller servo components, particularly within the confinedenvelopes of guided weapons, can only be met by increasing efficiency to a very high level, and this in turn must be achievedby very close-limit manufacture and strenuous test. So important is the Vatric equipment within the loops of many servo controlsystems that the company do not permit themselves any com- promise on short-life missile application—each motor is passed-off for 1,000 hours' working life. Considerable importance is attached to research and develop-ment for both the organization and, under contract, for the M.o.S. Typical of the "pure research" programme is a currentinvestigation into lubrication and electrical insulation at elevated temperatures, and high-altitude brush wear, while useful develop-ment work is being done on items such as a standard range of gearheads to R.A.E. specifications. Very small precision gearboxes with reduction ratios of upto 10,000:1 pose severe production problems when the backlash must be limited down to 20 minutes of angle. The manufacturersclaim that watch-making precision compares unfavourably with these motor gearheads, since the output torque of a watch isconsiderably less, and backlash—being uni-directional—presents no problems. Manufacture of the motors demonstrates many examples of theingenuity used to solve particular problems of accuracy and con- centricity. A good example is the production of completelyburr-free laminations from nickel steel strip. The required press- ing tool is in the form of a series of small radially disposed key-hole slots, through which must be pressed a series of mating
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