1910 Institute of Metals: Visits to Works
Note: This is a sub-section of 1910 Institute of Metals
VISITS TO WORKS, (September 21 and 22, 1910)
ARGYLLS LTD.
The machine shop, which is the largest of the manufacturing departments, covers 4.75 acres of ground, also accommodates the engine-building department, extending the full length of the side of the shop. It is here that the Argyll engine, the machined parts having been received through the stores from the various departments, are put together, and afterwards run on the testing stands.
Immediately to the north is the grinding department, and beyond this is a large and extremely interesting collection of machine tools. These machine tools have been brought together from the best manufacturing firms at home and abroad, a number being of American and German origin, and the others from different places in Britain. Power to drive the machinery in this department is furnished by gas engines and electric motors to an aggregate of 600 horse-power.
The assembling shop, which measures about 400 feet by 66 feet, is entirely devoted to the assembling of components. Here are built up steering gears, front and rear axles, gear boxes, etc.; gear boxes and back axles can also be seen on test in this department previous to their being delivered to the stores to be ready for erection in chassis.
In the power house, which is a separate building, there are installed seven 4-cylinder vertical type gas engines, coupled to direct-current generators, which supply electricity for lighting, and, where necessary, driving machinery in the various shops.
Beyond the power house are two Babcock & Wilcox boilers, supplying steam for heating purposes throughout the shops in the works. In the same block as the power house and boiler house, but separated by a wall, is the smithy, this having in its peculiar way its own claims for attention. All the smiths' fires are fitted with smoke-exhausting hoods, and by this means the atmosphere is kept comparatively clear.
Farther down the building is the case-hardening department, and at the end the tinsmiths', brazing, buffing, plating, and sheet metal department.
The building in which the bodies are painted, upholstered, and varnished measures 422 feet in length, by 65 feet in width, and 20 feet in height at the eaves, rising to 33 feet at the peak of the roof. The bodies are brought from the coach-building shop next door, are mounted on special stands, and are treated to between twenty and thirty coats of paint. The bodies having been painted, are passed into the trimming department for upholstering, and are afterwards sent into another department for varnishing. The varnishing room is the only department of the factory which visitors are not invited to enter; the obvious reason for the restriction being the necessity of limiting traffic at all times in order to keep out dust.
The coach-building department is the same length as the combined painting, trimming, and varnishing departments, but it is 35 feet wider. All the wood-working machines, which are electrically driven from motors erected on the roof girders, are placed down the middle of the top portion of the shop. The space occupied by body-builders alone is sufficient to allow of 100 bodies being built simultaneously.
The chassis shop or erecting department is in some ways the most noteworthy section of the establishment. Constructionally it is the highest in the roof, is equipped with a couple of electric cranes, and has a railway siding of its own, which allows of cars being loaded indoors into trucks and despatched to any quarter. This shop measures 390 feet by 80 feet.
One of the most important departments is the store. It extends a distance of 540 feet underneath the office buildings, and contains thousands of pounds worth of iron, steel, aluminium, brass, indiarubber, glass, &c. Here may be seen huge bars and tubes of steel, brass and phosphor bronze, hundreds of pneumatic tyres, large quantities of accumulators, lamps and various other fittings that are not usually made by car manufacturers.
The gas plant is a very important part of the equipment of the works. It produces the gas not only for the engine driving the machinery in the vast machine shop, but also for the engines in the power house which generate all the electric light and power used throughout the works. The present installation consists of eight units of 200 horse-power maximum capacity each.
Near by the suction gas plant stands the foundry, which within the last six months has been extended to cope with the increased working of this department. Cylinders, gear boxes, axle casing, and a hundred and one other different parts are cast here; and as time goes on further extensions will have to be made to enable the parts to be turned out as fast as they are required.
JOHN BROWN & CO. LTD., CLYDEBANK SHIPBUILDING AND ENGINEERING', WORKS.
The Clydebank shipbuilding yard, established in 1873, is one of the most perfectly equipped in the world. The output in a single year has amounted to 90,000 tons of shipping and 108,000 horse-power of machinery. The vessels built here have included a large number of warships for the British and several foreign navies, the armour-plates being supplied from the firm's steel-works in Sheffield. The yard has also a great reputation for torpedo vessels. Some of the fastest merchant vessels have been built at Clydebank, including the famous Cunarder Lusitania. The very high speeds now attained have been made possible by the introduction of steam turbines, in the development of which the company has taken a prominent part, and special machinery is in use for the construction of the large drums, &c., required.
Clydebank has nine building berths, on which ships 800 feet long may be built. The fitting-out basin is equipped with two large cranes capable of lifting 150 tons, and a number of smaller cranes. An important feature of the works is the experimental tank, one of the two owned by shipbuilding firms in this country. This tank has proved very useful in designing various vessels for which the company is responsible.
THE FAIRFIELD SHIPBUILDING AND ENGINEERING WORKS, GOVAN.
These famous works are situated three miles to the west of Glasgow, on the south bank of the Clyde, and occupy an area of eighty-five acres. The firm was originally founded in 1834, when it occupied a single engineering shop with a 3 horse-power engine.
Shipbuilding was commenced in 1860, and the present works were laid out in 1864. The work done includes shipbuilding of every kind, and the construction of marine engines (both of the reciprocating and the turbine type) and boilers. The company also, as part owners of armour-plate works at Sheffield and of ordnance works at Coventry, is able to build the hull of a warship, construct the whole of the machinery, armour the ship, and supply the guns and their mountings.
From 1870 to 1909, the firm has built fifty-five vessels of war and supplied the machinery for twelve others, the aggregate value of this fleet being nearly £18,000,000. The yard also has a high reputation for the construction of passenger liners, cross-channel boats and steam yachts, no less than twenty-eight mail-steamers for the Atlantic service having been built within the last thirty years. The shipyard is fully equipped with machinery for dealing with the largest sizes of plates and beams. About 250 tons of steelwork have been put in place in one week, and in some cases over 80 tons in one day, on a vessel on the building berth. In addition to the great steel-working shops, there are very extensive wood-working departments, the whole of the joiner's work, and even the manufacture of the furniture for passenger liners, being carried out on the premises.
The fitting-out basin covers more than five acres, and has an entrance 270 feet wide. The depth of water is 29 feet at low tide. It is provided with shear-legs capable of lifting 130 tons, and several cranes, of which the largest can lift 20 tons at a radius of 30 feet, or 9 tons at a radius of 60 feet.
The most striking features of the engine works are the arrangements for the construction of large steam turbines. Turbine casings up to 30 feet long and 12 feet wide, and rotors up to 50 feet long and 15 feet in diameter, can be taken. One of the vertical and horizontal planing machines is capable of taking a surface up to 24 feet by 19 feet.
Turning to the non-ferrous metals (which also find application in turbine work in the form of the bronze turbine blades), a large shop is devoted to galvanising by the electric process, the weekly output being 1,200 to 1,300 tubes, from 1 to 3 inches in diameter. The brass-foundry has 20 pot furnaces, and two large furnaces of 16 tons and 8 tons respectively. The output of this foundry is 60 to 70 tons per week, and castings up to 20 tons can be made. The castings are dressed by pneumatic tools.
The electric power station supplies both the shipyard and engine works, and is equipped with seven generating sets, having a total capacity of 2,630 kilowatts. The steam is supplied by seven water-tube boilers, whilst two marine cylindrical boilers supply steam for hammers, hydraulic pumping machinery, &c.
NORTH BRITISH LOCOMOTIVE CO. LTD., HYDE PARK WORKS, GLASGOW.
The Administration Building is situated in Flemington Street, Springburn. In addition to the usual accommodation for the directors and secretaries, it also houses the entire commercial staff, buying, costing, shipping, &c., and the technical and drawing department.
The Works, which consist of three fully-equipped and independent units, are "Hyde Park Works," formerly Neilson, Reid & Co.; "Atlas Works," formerly Sharp, Stewart & Co., both situated in Springburn; and "Queen's Park Works," formerly Dubs & Co., situated in Polmadie. The combined output is now over 19,000 engines, and the present capacity per annum is about 700 main line engines of the highest grade of workmanship and material.
The Hyde Park Works, to which on this occasion a visit was made, are in direct connection with the North British Railway Company's line.
General Survey of the Works.
North Side.— Joiner and pattern-making shops, pattern stores, and the brass amid iron foundries with cupolas, core-drying stoves, &c. These shops are detached from, but convenient to, the main group of shops.
Centre, North to South— Template shop, cab shop, boiler-mounting shop, boiler shop, smithy and forge in one general group.
Western Side.— Wheel and fitting shops, machine shops (presently in course of reconstruction), finishing shop, and light turning and tool-grinding shop.
Between these Two Main Groups.— Power stations, including boiler-house, electric power-house, and pneumatic power-house.
East End.— Heavy tool-shop, paint shop and material store. Near these are the tender and tank shops and the cylinder shop. Although these are situated at some distance from the engine- erecting shops they are in direct communication by rail and overhead cranes.
The respective shops have their overhead travelling or walking jib cranes, of powers varying from 90 tons to 5 tons, all of which are electrically driven. The steam pressure throughout is about 200 lbs. per square inch, except in the forge, where it is reduced to 65 lbs. The electric current is "continuous" and 250 volts, the hydraulic pressure is 1,500 lbs. per square inch.
WILLIAM ROSS & SONS, 27 THISTLE STREET, GLASGOW.
This is a small foundry, dealing with a considerable variety of alloys. The visitors were shown Ross's method of dealing with fumes in casting brass and manganese bronze. The crucible is covered with a plain cover just before pulling, and is then placed under a sheet-iron hood, with uptake. After skimming, the cover is replaced by a patent pouring cover, which is not removed until after the crucible has cooled under the hood. The escape of fumes into the foundry is thus almost completely prevented. The firm manufactures steam fittings and laundry and sanitary appliances.
G. & J. WEIR LTD., ENGINEERS, CATHCART.
The works of Messrs. G. & J. Weir Ltd., Cathcart, are devoted chiefly to the manufacture of the firm's specialities in marine auxiliary machinery, comprising direct-acting feed pumps, service pumps, independent air pumps, marine evaporating and distilling plants, feed water heaters, &c.
Every navy of importance has been supplied with Weir equipments, so that the character and quality of the firm's products are of the highest grade, as an inspection of their establishment indicates.
The works cover thirteen acres, and are laid out on the most modern lines, comprising pattern shop, iron foundry, brass foundry, smithy, copper shop, machine, and erecting shops complete.
The iron foundry is a steel structure 270 feet long by 210 feet broad, with two Thwaites cupolas with blast furnished by Root's blowers. The three main bays are served by four electric cranes, while the central floor is served by six hydraulic cranes for closing boxes, &c. The brass foundry is furnished with seventeen crucible furnaces and two reverberatory furnaces, and has a large sand-blasting plant for cleaning castings. Both foundries are furnished with large stove accommodation for drying complete moulds. A laboratory and a testing department, as an adjunct to the foundries, check and supervise their products.
The main machine shop consists of ten bays, 330 feet long, and is equipped with the latest and most up-to-date plant by British, American, and Continental manufacturers. It is driven by gas-engines working on suction gas and partly by electric current supplied by the Clyde Valley Electric Power Company, and has departmental divisions under stores, tool room, gauge department, &c.
The erecting, water-testing, and steam-testing shop consists of four bays, 375 feet long, equipped with electric travellers, and at the steam- testing platform with hydraulic jib cranes. The small pump department is a reproduction in little of the large shops with special automatic department for the production of duplicate parts in quantity.
Standardisation is one of the features of the establishment, and interchangeability is secured by regular inspection system.
Commercial and drawing offices complete the establishment, which is, in point of equipment, system, and organisation, one of the most advanced and interesting in the country.
THE UNIVERSITY.
The present handsome pile of buildings on Gilmorehill, in which the University of Glasgow is housed, was erected from the designs of the late Sir Gilbert Scott, and was opened in 1870, replacing the old buildings, dating from the fifteenth century, in the centre of the town.
The main buildings are Gothic in design, and the lofty tower is a conspicuous feature of Glasgow. The Bute Hall, which is used for graduations and other academic ceremonies, occupies a position between the two principal quadrangles. The scientific departments baying outgrown their accommodation, additional buildings have been provided from time to time.
The Natural Philosophy Buildings, in which the meetings of the Institute were held, were completed in 1907, and comprise a large and well-fitted lecture theatre, physical laboratories, and small rooms for special research purposes. The collection of apparatus includes many objects of historical interest. There is a full equipment for the production of liquid air and liquid hydrogen.
The senior laboratories of the chemical department are at present contained in a temporary building. The metallurgical laboratory occupies the lowest floor of this building, and is equipped with gas, coke, and electric furnaces, and with the necessary appliances for metallurgical analysis. Two rooms on the top floor are devoted to metallography, and are provided with a very complete photomicrographic equipment.
The buildings of the engineering department were erected by the university with funds drawn from the Randolph Bequest, and equipped by contributions in money and kind by engineers and others interested in the advancement of applied science. The total cost was over £40,000. They were opened by Lord Kelvin in 1901.
The buildings include various laboratories, boiler room, drawing class-room, lecture theatres, library, and reading room. The equipment of the main laboratory includes various machines for the testing of materials, the chief of which is a 100-ton horizontal testing machine by J. Buckton & Co. of Leeds. This machine may be used for testing materials in tension, compression, bending, shear, and torsion. There are also a 10-ton vertical testing machine for tension, compression, and bending tests, a torsion machine, and wire-testing machines of special design. These machines are all arranged to give autographic stress-strain diagrams, while small strains are measured by extensometer or compressometer.
The steam plant includes a boiler capable of raising 2500 lbs. of steam per hour, a 50 horse-power compound steam engine, and a 50 horse-power Delavel steam turbine, both coupled to dynamos, and a refrigerating plant. There are also gas, oil, petrol, and hot air engines, all arranged for experimental work. The electrical laboratory contains various types of continuous and alternating current generators, all motor driven; a tramway motor set, and other electric motors arranged either for direct experimental use or coupled to a pump, fan, hoist, Sc. The laboratory is fully equipped with separate accumulators for low voltages, and with 100 volt and' 250 volt batteries. The instrument room is equipped with the most modern measuring instruments. In the hydraulic laboratory provision is made for the very accurate measurement of the flow of water over weirs and for the accurate testing of the various hydraulic motors, including an inward flow turbine, Pelton wheels, and a reaction turbine. The equipment also includes a motor-driven centrifugal pump; venturi and vortex meters; apparatus for experimenting on the flow of water through pipes and orifices; and for studying the action of water in forming river bends.
THE GLASGOW AND WEST OF SCOTLAND TECHNICAL COLLEGE.
This college was established in 1886, as the result of the amalgamation of several older institutions, one of which was Anderson's College, founded in 1796, and the first technical college in the kingdom. The first section of the present building was opened in 1905, and the last section has been completed this year. The whole has cost over £400,000, and forms the largest building in the kingdom devoted to education.
The equipment of the engineering laboratories includes a horizontal testing machine of 100 tons capacity, taking specimens up to 12 feet long in tension and beams 15 feet long; a vertical testing machine of 12,000 lbs. capacity, and many special forms of testing machines. The experimental plant includes a large horizontal steam-engine, a motor-car testing plant, a Diesel oil engine, a gas engine with suction producer, &c., as well as a variety of electric generators and motors.
The metallurgical department is situated on the third floor of the building, and comprises furnace room, general laboratory for analytical work, room for pyrometry and metallography, store rooms, lecture rooms, lecture preparation room, and rooms for polishing and preparation of samples, and electro-chemical work. The equipment is at present being considerably extended, especially as regards apparatus for experiments on the melting, casting, and treatment of metals and alloys, also for the testing of ores to determine suitability for treatment by various processes.
The laboratories are provided with necessary apparatus for metallurgical analysis and experiment, including wind furnace, gas and coke muffle furnaces, electric tube furnaces for experimental work, and a large Richmond gas-fired furnace for experiments on heat treatment of metals and alloys and other purposes. There is also a Whiting cupola capable of melting 1 ton per hour; a tilting crucible melting furnace of. the M.R.V. type, specially designed for the production of the highest temperatures. Moulding boxes and tools, ladles, and the usual necessary accessories are also provided. Pyrometers of the portable thermocouple type are in use for ordinary temperature control, and also a recording pyrometer of the Armour type. There is in addition a complete installation of potentiometers, galvanometers, Ac., for thermal investigations. In the metallography room are a number of microscopes, specially arranged for the examination of metallic sections. There is also a Zeiss-Martens microscope outfit, complete with electric lamp, optical bench, and a large Zeiss camera arranged for photographic work at the highest powers.
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