MAKING ENGINES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 282, 29 November 1938, Page 18

MAKING ENGINES.

BIG MORRIS PLANT. COST MILLIONS OF POUNDS. MX ISII'TION < •!■' \Vi lIIKS. ll ni,i\ fti-t .1 mil lit) fil :t II li'l' C ) 0.1)011 "I n 1" (..nulllee mil' Jifl-fiM-t liHitm , "f j .i new ili'-iyii. \.t were he | ( . a~k tlial ] in mil f.»r it. l-n winilil i ut ..[ l,ii-iiir-- ! in iin li Tin- ,nt nf iiiimlimii priiilur I i"l. i- I" <I■ ■- i ■_: 11 one |iellVel inuilcl liv i i'-i iin-li. c\ |iiTi nil-lit. ami jii I Illl'll In I••J•t' ■•■ 1 11< ■<• il'l IlllilUt Mill ,| -<• li.-~ itf i-i-|i!i m< w iiirli .i i c pi..f li-, I,ut inure ' I'd Iγ, ! I ||,-| ii I hi' iili'jili.i I. ! Till , |t|-iii'fw« ~| ri-pl'i-illli-t inn I i r|ntl>-l.iryi-l\ Li nun liinery. -.. el., l.m ,i Ie a:i,l en-lly I lull tin' I'llii-iriit iiiiiniit'ai'tiii'i'i'l 11111-t ill', r-t ;l -tllyoelill", Ml f lIMIIICI l.cli.ie In' I.i-i! ii- t.. ollVr c-ar- (<,r s.il". II i- iiiif -in-j.j i-iifj in loii'ii I litil th" ' •I'tlina l'|> Hi , l in-la IliiiL' uf iiiiirlliiii'rv ' in I In 1 iii'M Jlnri'i* engines lirmicli in' Ijiulhiiil i-i.»t in.ire liijiii .tJ.niMi.DOi). T|i» j -i xt.ii.l- iii it !■"> acre, mill j.ra.ti- ' ii.Hi .ill nf t'ni- "town" ii euvered wit ii a in.i/.r nl I'liViiili'i-i inji <'i|li I |)inoiit . all. Iμ.him,T. 1.ii.l out -ci.'iilili'Mlly iU'i-iiiil-in;» In a |.rr i|,'i I'l'iiiim-il |>1 til. Tlii-j |i|.nil Im- ii ni|nu-ily .it' lIMMI citrines a I Week. < l.i-f to tin , "Hire- mi . Hip re*eaieli

with it 11 e<|iii|inient t.i -Indilen (lie heart ,'f a keen resennli engineer.

Amongst other things, research Inn 10 engine tfnt beds entirely for its own ttnv, and Home of these beds are in sound-proof rooms for ailence tests. There is nNo a refrigvrnting elminber of 150 cubic feet capm-ity in whk'li an fun'nw -cnii be placed, Hiiitably frozen and then tested'for tstJM'ting' from cold

Xext comes the foundry, which has a rapacity for melting 200 tons of iro.i

weekly. Automatic conveyors carry the castings through a cooling chamber and onwards to the heavy machine •.hop. where casting* are automatically distributed to the correct machining lines. In the heavy machining shop eight separate line* deal with tli" general machining of engine blocks. cylinder heads, manifolds, etc.

Tn the general machine shops of •Morris engines bnincli there is a large proportion of special machinery for gear production. There is also a gearcutting shop, with automatic machines for turning out gears, and special geartooth finishing machines. A complementary Installation is a battery of genr-texting machines which te<t t Inaccuracy of gear-teeth to one tenthoiiHaiidth part of an inch.

In the chemical and physical laboratories, equipment is used for the testing of chemical analysis and strength of materials, also for micro-photographic records. In the gear-box assembly shop there is a silence room for the testing of' quietness of genr boxes. After the component parts have been assembled into engines, a selection procesfor pistons, connection rods, and gudgeon pins to accurate limits of weight and size, the engines themselves go through tests. One hundred electrical dynamo-meters are in continual use. and every engine is given several hours' test, both motoring and running under its own power. During test the engines lire supplied with clean oil kept in circulation with a battery of centrifugal kc|im tutors. After , pissing test, the engines , in . mounted on trucks, externiilly wiimlhhl, sprayed with paint of the appropriate colour to the model, an.l stored in rack* for dispatch to Cowley. They lens,, the factory at the rate of one ii minute during the working day.

Words IVil entirely, of course, to eonve.v any real iiii|. region f) f the magnitude of such „,, enterprise or of Ihe extent of Die liiMiiim iiigi-tillit V and "kill which me pint ~f it. The vi-itor (lo.w. however, realise tint, soinethinu .•xt, ..ordinarily big i. „„■„,, on with uncanny efficiency, and that the army "! .''"-" '■*• •■heniintM. mid other tecli nieiaus there me pniducing motor car engines under condition* which are ideal both from their point of view and from that of the tnotori-t. Preei-mn m.iii:i j fact lire « i I Ii the help of machinery costling million- hv -ciciitiMc tests. "i» | ]|~ process by which the superlative modern car i< brought within the reach of tho I niutorist of moderate means.