Pearson and Knowles Engineering Co:1935 Review
Note: This is a sub-section of Pearson and Knowles Engineering Co
Visit of the Iron and Steel Institute to the Iron, Steel and Engineering Industries of Manchester and District
The Pearson & Knowles Engineering Company Limited, Warrington.
This Company was formed as a subsidiary of The Lancashire Steel Corporation with a view to developing the structural and general engineering activities of Pearson and Knowles Coal and Iron Co, who, during the past sixty years, have carried out a widely varied range of work of this character. The chief classes of work undertaken, are:— iron and steel constructional work; blast furnace and steel works plant; colliery plant; electric welding; general engineering and galvanising.
The constructional department deals with the design, fabrication, and erection of a large variety of work such as bridges, buildings, transmission towers, chimneys and tubing, roofs and girders, crane structures, fencing, gates, etc. Special attention is given to urgency work such as the taking-down and renewal of bridges.
In one case an old railway bridge having a span of 30 feet and width 28 feet, with a weight of 5o tons was taken down and replaced by a bridge having a span of 64 feet 6 inches and width 28 feet 2 inches with a weight of 120 tons in the total time of 2 hours 10 minutes, without disturbing the railway's time table.
Storage tanks 103 feet in diameter x 41 feet 3 inches high with individual weights of 250 tons and 1,650,000 gallons storage capacity; and steel chimneys up to 275 feet in height have been dealt with.
As an example of the work accomplished in the way of transmission towers may be mentioned those linking up the Kent and Essex shores of the Thames in the vicinity of Dagenham. Each of these towers has a height of 487 feet, and is 120 feet square at the base. They are of exceptionally light construction and despite the fact that a total of 59,000 pieces was required in each case, the finished weight does not exceed 30o tons per tower.
Extreme care had to be taken with regard to accuracy both in manufacture and erection. The theodolite readings taken at the North tower on completion showed the transverse face to be within towards West and the longitudinal face within 0.75-inch towards South.
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Sources of Information