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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0562.PDF
THE INDUSTRY Fatigue-testing Installation at Shorts FOUR machines lately installed at Short Brothers and Harland,Ltd., Belfast, can complete within twelve months an entire component fatigue-testing programme for a major aircraft project.The largest, manufactured by Losenhausenwerk AG, of Dussel- dorf, is hydraulically operated and can impose a 100-ton load asfrequently as ten times a second; the last machine to be installed, an Avery-Schenck unit, is capable of putting a load of up to20 tons on small jointed specimens. The installation has already been used by Shorts to test aircraftcomponents ranging from wing-root joints to small fitted bolts. The test-piece is held between jaws (adjustable for componentsup to about 8ft long) which apply load pulsations of varying capacities. Such loads can be maintained, throughout protractedtests, to within a quarter-ton tolerance. When the machine has warmed up the load drift is negligible, though it may increaseslightly if excessive variations of temperature cause changes in oiJ viscosity and volume. Decreasing load is corrected by the controls,and if the value should vary beyond a pre-determined amount the machine will stop automatically. To ensure that no vibration reaches nearby installations, theLosenhausenwerk machine is mounted on an independent concrete bed resting on springs. This involved excavating to a depth of16ft and the use of 420 tons of concrete and 12 tons of steel reinforcement. Aircraft Cable A NEW type of aircraft cable known as Tersil, developed byW. T. Henley's Telegraph Works Co., Ltd., 51-53 Hatton Garden, London, E.C.I, is being used for the Bristol Proteus755 turboprop power units in the Britannia 300. The makers state that Bristol Aero-Engines, Ltd., decided on its use afterstringent testing which included prolonged ageing of the cable at high temperatures, followed by immersion in kerosine andester-base lubricating oil. Tersil cables have nickel-plated copper conductors and aninsulation consisting of silicone rubber, glass and polythene terephthalate. This construction, say Henleys, enables Tersilcable to function continuously in ambient temperatures from — 50 deg C or lower to +150 deg C; and the inclusion of siliconerubber gives it fire-resistant characteristics. Mr. S. G. Marshall, appointed manager of the machine shop at the Belfast works of Short Brothers and Harland, Ltd. He has been concerned, as a pro- ject engineer, with Comet and Britannia production. Mr. T. Gilbertson, M.I.P.E., pre- viously production director of Folland Aircraft, Ltd., who has joined the de Havilland Aircraft Co., Ltd., and been appointed deputy general manager of their Christchurch factory. 564 FLIGHT, 26 April 1957 Mr. Edmund T. Price, chairman of Solar Aircraft of California, with his wife after arriving at London Airport recer.tly on a visit to this country. Solar, one of the main sub-contractors in the J57 production pro- gramme, have licensees in this country, including Bristol Aero-Engines (afterburners), Sugg-Solar (small gas turbines) and Teddington Air- craft Controls (technical collaboration). New Microswitches TO the range of microswitches manufactured by Honeywell-Brown, Ltd., 1 Wadsworth Road, Perivale, Greenford, Middx., have been added a sealed sub-miniature and a low torque rotaryswitch. The sealed type, listed as 1SE1, contains a basic 11 SM3-T sub-miniature switch embedded with an epoxy resin in analuminium casting treated to resist corrosion. Developed to meet particular needs in aircraft and electronic applications, theswitch is stated to be suitable for operation within a temperature range of —65 deg F to 180 deg F and is electrically rated to30 volts D.C. for 2.5 amp inductive, and 4 amp resistive, at 50,000ft. The low-torque rotary switch, listed as V4, is designed for usein mechanisms where very low force is available. A torque as low as 4 gm-in will operate it from a suitable wire actuator whichcan be shaped as required, and among applications cited are air- flow indicators. This V4 switch is for S.P.D.T. operation and iselectrically rated for 5 amp at 250 volts A.C. Full details of it are given in a data sheet, HB 46c, available from the manufac-turers. To Facilitate Machining NEW types of self-adhesive tape developed by Industrial Tapes,Ltd., Speedfix House, 142/146 Old Street, London, E.C.I, are designed for such machine-shop applications as holding small or awkwardly-shaped workpieces on magnetic chucks. This tape is double-sided, and is supplied with an interleaving uncoated strip Speedfix DSC/2 machining tape in use for a diamond facing operation. The workpiece is a pump component (used in the Vis- count) for Rotol and British Messier. which is peeled oil ana ctiscaraea. Double-sided Speedfix ismanufactured in three different qualities, DSP/1, a light paper tape; DSC/2, a medium-weight cloth tape; and DSC/3, a heavycloth tape. Whilst the holding strength of all three grades is the same, the varying thicknesses slightly affect accuracy of setting-up.A tolerance quoted for a plate mounted on DSC/2 and ground on both sides is *).00025in. Honeywell Miniature Integrating Gyro TN the illustration of the Minneapolis-Honeywell miniature inte--*• grating gyro which appeared on p. 478 of Flight for April 12, the lettered key should have read as follows:—A, baffle plateheater; B, terminal; C, flex lead; D, signal torquer dualsyn; E, heater and sensing element; F, floated gimbal; G, gyro wheel; H,case; I, pivot jewel; J, bellows. Canadian Helicopter Merger TZJROM Malton, Ontario, comes an announcement that Genaire,-*- Ltd., has acquired a majority interest in Rotaire, Ltd., the helicopter repair, overhaul and maintenance company, and that"under the new arrangement Rotaire will cater to the needs of commercial and military helicopter operators in Canada." Day-to-day operations of Rotaire, Ltd., will be under the direction of Mr. Art Limmert, vice-president and managing director, and the newcompany will be supported by Genaire's facilities at Toronto Air- port and at St. Catherine's Municipal Airport. Among reasons forits formation are mentioned "the growing number of smaller opera- tors, the shortage of trained mechanics and air engineers, and theincreasing work-loads for commercial and military helicopters."
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