Lectures on Parts Salvage and Repair
Page 20
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THE Ministry of War Transport is to be congratulated upon the steps it is taking to extend the practice of reclaiming and reconditioning worn and damaged parts discarded from vehicles. Many of the parts are extremely difficult to replace by -new ones or even by others in usable condition, without a certain amount of skilled repair, whilst it is urgently necessary to conserve material.
The re-use of many components, some not hitherto considered worth repairing, or requiring special methods, will ease the situation and assist production. The technique of reconditioning such parts has made great strides during the past few years, and many engineers engaged on vehicle maintenance who may be otherwise quite competent are, perhaps, unaware of the new possibilities of saving material which is now scrapped.
To instruct -them and others, the Road Transport Division of the Ministry is organizing a campaign amongst repairers generally, to ensure the adoption of such new methods as speedily and as widely as possible. With the co-operation of the British Oxygen Company, it has arranged a series of
lectures in many of the principal towns of the country, at which will be exhibited special films showing clearly intricate processes of reconditioning, whilst skilled technicians working on actual parts will giVe demonstrations. Engineers and managers of road-transport-repair undertakings will be invited to these meetings.
Another interesting step in this campaign will be the preparation of a number of demonstration vans, which will be sent to the premises of vehicle repairers. They will be equipped with reconditioning plant and manned by skilled demonstrators, so that foremen and workmen will be able to receive instruction.
Regional Maintenance and Certifying Officers of the Ministry will be kept fully informed of the technique employed, and, 'having attended lectures, will be able to advise operators and repairers as to the best methods to employ in particular cases. They will also be able to give advice regarding the facilities that can be afforded by specialist repairers in each Region. As an example, the crankshafts for oil engines are made from somewhat complicated forgings, and a new method devised for their repair when broken is to remove damaged webs and insert new ones, this being a purely mechanical operation, as no welding is employed. A similar method can he applied to many other parts.
It will be realized that some of the economic processes developed may prove useful for post-war work. Naturally, the instruction given will always be of value to the individuals concerned.
Lectures as described will be given in London and the Provinces as follow:—London: May 16, 2-5 p.m., British Oxygen Company, North Circular Road, Cricklewood; Reading, two sessions, May 20; Cardiff: four sessions, May 25-26; Birmingham: four sessions, May 29-30; Cambridge: two sessions, June 3; Nottingham: four sessions, July 15-16; Manchester: four sessions, July 20-21; Leeds: four sessions, July 24-25 Newcastle: four, sessions, July 29-30; Glasgow: four sessions, August 4-5; Dundee: two sessions, August 8.
Admission will be only by ticket, for which application should be made to the particular Regional Maintenance and Certifying Officer. This first series of lectures will deal with welding.