Hello
A question for you brainy types: How many different grades of aluminium were used in building the airframe of the Fairey Battle or A W Whitley or H P Halifax, etc? Just the airframe – not the engines, propellers or fittings?
Also does the grade or composition or quality of aluminium change if melted down and recycled?
Regards
Phil Rhodes
By: mackerel - 3rd October 2008 at 22:45
Its a very good lubricant.
Hi All, when i was an apprentice at British Hovercraft Corp in 1970 i was assinged to maintainance dept for a while & we used to use parafin as a lubrication medium whilst honing guillotine blades.
Steve
By: Mark V - 3rd October 2008 at 21:33
the cutting fluid was Parafin 😮
Its a very good lubricant.
By: Arabella-Cox - 3rd October 2008 at 19:36
It always tickled me that when I had to machine castings made from Electron (Magnesium Aluminium alloy) the cutting fluid was Parafin 😮
By: RPSmith - 3rd October 2008 at 09:51
……as it carries on burning under water.
I do know that magnesium burns BETTER when water is applied 😮
Roger Smith.
By: chumpy - 2nd October 2008 at 22:47
For those interested in the subject, best source of info into the use’s and specs of dural etc, try getting hold of a copy of ‘Materials of Aircraft Construction’ by F.T.Hill. Published by Pitman various editions issued during the 1930s /40s.
Mucho useful info relating to light alloys, steels, timber etc as used in the WW2 A/C industry. This still holds good to this day.
Chumpy.
By: old shape - 2nd October 2008 at 22:05
There always seems to be a lot of reference to ‘Duralumin’ – how does that fit in?
Dural is Al. with copper added. This makes it susceptable to corrosion……but it makes it stronger and far easier to work.
To overcome the corrosion, SWG sheets were indeed coated with Al. and that’s called the Alclad.
Billets and Forgings have to be anodised and painted primer and gloss.
Pure Ally is almost useless in the A/c lark because it is so weak, it is awful to machine/bend/form/fabricate etc.
Magnesium alloy was used a lot, that is easier to work, but the swarf/chippings/dust ignites with a careless cigarette. (Got that T shirt!!! LoL)
It can only be put out with a special grey powder, as it carries on burning under water.
By: Robert Hilton - 2nd October 2008 at 21:39
The modern equivalents would be L163 for light work. This is generally easy to Cold bend or roll. For higher strength then L165 is normally used, which does not cold bend or roll.
Alclad does indeed have a layer of pure aluminium to protect the alloy.
Do you need some for a static a/c? It might be better (cheaper) to use a commercial quality, but use a reasonable quality alloy, not pure ally as it tends to bind.
By: RPSmith - 2nd October 2008 at 21:16
…and Alclad – is that the alum alloy that’s coated with pure alum???
Roger Smith.
By: donkei - 2nd October 2008 at 21:03
There always seems to be a lot of reference to ‘Duralumin’ – how does that fit in?
By: chumpy - 2nd October 2008 at 18:57
Hi there,
The short answer to your question would be ‘several’, without specific knowledge of the Battle, Whitley etc it is difficult to say for sure what was actually used by the different manufacturers.
However the most common material used during the WW2 era, for stressed airframe items (ribs, frames, skins etc) would probably be British Standard L.3 alloy.
For non stressed items such as fairings etc a different grade would be used. Many different, specs. grades etc were available, selected for their suitability, availabilty etc.
As for melted down material, whilst the composition could be considered the ‘same’. Its grade and mechcanical properties would be would seriously altered during the melting process.
Cheers, Chumpy.
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October 2, 2008 at 5:06 pm