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Aviation History
1979
1979 - 4625.PDF
FLIGHT International, 22 December (979 2051 British Aerospace develops new bearing V" INDUSTRY International A highspeed air bearing for aircraft air-conditioning units is being de veloped by British Aerospace Dynamics, Hatfield. Work has been: carried out by the group's Mechanical Equipment and Systems division using a bearing test rig and a demonstration cold-air unit. Extensive testing, including more than 10,000 start/stop cycles, has been completed on a bearing set with noi apparent degradation in per formance. A cold-air unit embodying the: bearings is being built for pro longed testing in an aircraft under normal flying conditions. The principal advantage of air bearings is their mechanical simpli city. Each one consists of a cylindrical shaft running in a plain journal; the shaft runs on an air film which is self-generating, requiring no external pressure feed and no lubrication. Critical features are surface accuracy, choice of materials, clearances and, most importantly, the method of mounting the bearing sleeve. Suitable choice of stiffness and damping of the bearing suspension has given satis factory operation over the whole speed range including operation in gas^film instability conditions. USAF aims at 1985 for robot-aircraft production The US Air Force has initiated a pro gramme that will use robots to per form sheet metal fabrication for aerospace manufacturing. Part of the USAF Materials Laboratory's Inte grated Computer Aided Manufactur ing Programme (Icam) will demon strate an approach to organising manufacture around computer auto mation. The planning and design stages are underway and actual production is targeted for 1985. With fabrication allocated to a work centre, robots would perform specialised processes, such as routing, deburring and bending. The robots are clustered into cells, combining two or more processes to create a family of parts. An inter-cell and intrarcell materials-handling system integrates the cells, which together perform the work centre's produc tion assignment. Station operations are conducted with a microprocessor; in the cells a mini-computer will supervise the microprocessors, while above the mini-computer a "full-sized" computer controls the cells at work-centre! level. Taking one- step beyond this pro gramme, a main frame computer could integrate several work centres into- a factory producing aircraft. The sheet-metal forming cell demonstrated by Icam has been taken as one ele ment in the complete manufacture of aircraft. Production levels In its integrated form, according to the USAF, Icam promises to reduce systems costs and to improve in dustry responsiveness to defence needs. "The production levels that could be achieved are only barely within our ability to comprehend," says programme manager Michael Mosey nski. The project is divided into two parts, the first: oriented towards identifying the basic elements affect ing productivity. Formal develop- Bill Huyton (Dowty Fuel Systems managing director), second from left, with Indian and French aero-engine industry representatives at a Bangalore seminar, where he chaired sessions on control systems. Left to right: Dr Raya Ramanna (Indian Government scientific ad viser), Mr Huyton, Air Marshal S. J. Dastur (Hindustan Aeronautics chairman). Air Vice- Marshal Roy Chaudhury (Gas Turbine Research Establishment director, Bangalore), and Rene Ravaud (Snecma director-general) Professional award Eldon Nicholas, an aerospace techni cian at the FAA National Aviation Facilities Experimental Centre (Nafec), has received one of the highest awards given by a US profes sional society. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), with headquarters in Philadelphia, hais presented Nicholas with a Valu able Service Award, created to honour his "exceptional" contribu tions to the society. His major achievement has been to establish a subcommittee to stan dardise flamm ability test methods in the aviation industry. Nicholas chaired the subcommittee for 4*2 years, before co-chairing the ASTM Aerospace In dustry Methods Committee for two years. He currently is on five ASTM sub committees and one task group, and is an alternate member of the com mittee on fire standards. Nicholas has been employed by Nafec for 20 years, the last two in its Aircraft and Airports Safety Division. ment work is part of a contract awarded to- Boeing Aerospace in Seattlei. Programme consultants in clude Rockwell International, General Dynamics, Vought, Grumman, Lock heed California and Rohr Industries. Boeing and the supporting com panies will focus on the shop centre, its hardware and its control. Two major subcontractors, Northrop and the Stanford Research Institute, will examine external shop control sys tems, identify software needs, and will evaluate and recommend materials and parts-handling tech niques. Air Transport Problem? A Different Solution from I MIDAIR You will probably know that Alidair specialises in the supply and operation of Viscount aircraft throughout the world. To compliment this service, we are planning for the introduction of the De Havilland of Canada Dash 7 aircraft on both oil related and wet leasing operations. If your requirements have been for a Viscount- sized payload on short or medium haul sectors but airfields just haven't had the space, then the new Dash 7 with a capacity of SO seats or 6 tonnes of freight may be the answer, especially if you need a totally self-sufficient aeroplane which has a unique , Q.S.T.O.L. performance, is very cost-effective and, like the Viscount, has four-engined reliability. Please contact Captains Roger Dadd or Trefor Jones. STD Code 0332 Alidair Limited, East Midlands Airport, Derby D E 7 2S A
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