Building the Engines of the Olympic Class Liners

[Giant]

An album full of stunning photos here of these incredible engines under construction.

 

 

 

[Ray T]

What a shame 2 lots finished up at the bottom of the sea. Plus, I suppose the technology and the skills that went with them

[RLWP]

Plus, I suppose the technology and the skills that went with them

 

Not exactly. H&W went on building engines for many years after the Olympics

 

Richard

[Giant]

2 engines for sale. Both running fine when last used. Need a bit of TLC. Sold as seen, collection only, no timewasters please.

 

[AMModels]

The scale of the engines is stunning, those lathes are something else

[Slim]

Amazing!!

 

My understanding of machining is minimal but any lathe I've ever seen turned the workpiece fairly quickly. What speed were those crankshafts rotated at or was the cutting tool spun in some way. The use of the work "chuck" in one photograph suggests not.

 

 

Frank

Edited April 16, 2016 by Slim

[Giant]

Amazing!!

 

My understanding of machining is minimal but any lathe I've ever seen turned the workpiece fairly quickly. What speed were those crankshafts rotated at or was the cutting tool spun in some way. The use of the work "chuck" in one photograph suggests not.

 

 

It looks to me to be exactly like a normal lathe, just huge. I think it is even electric - the cylindrical part at the far left, with a big cable coming out of it, being the motor. This is offset from the shaft driving the chuck, and there would be some gearing between the two.

 

As to speed, it wouldn't need to go very fast because the crankshaft diameter is so large - about two feet by the look of it. If you normally run a 1 inch workpiece in a lathe at say 1000 rpm, the tool is meeting the surface of the piece at about 50 inches/second. With a 24 inch workpiece, it only takes you about 40 rpm to get the same cutting speed!

Edited April 17, 2016 by Giant

[AndrewIC]

I can see how they are turning the main bearing journals, but how would they have turned the crank journals offset from the main axis?

[RLWP]

I can see how they are turning the main bearing journals, but how would they have turned the crank journals offset from the main axis?

 

By offsetting the crankshaft in the lathe. This is another reason to turn slowly, the out of balance forces will be huge

 

Richard

 

MORE: I have dealings with a local company that does that kind of work - but in situ. They have a machine that fits to the crankpin and machines it (I don't know exactly how). The minimum diameter they can turn is 200mm and maximum around 750mm. My mind boggled

Edited April 17, 2016 by RLWP

[MoominPapa]

I think the caption about the "changeover valve" is wrong. The reciprocating engines driving the port and starboard props were reversible, in the the conventional way, but the turbine driving the centre prop only ran in forward, using the exhaust steam from the reciprocating engines. The changeover valve's function was to direct the exhaust steam from the recip. engines direct to the condenser when going astern, so that the turbine at least stopped, even if it couldn't contribute reverse thrust.

 

Aside, when all-turbine ships came along, how did they get reverse. Gearboxes?

 

MP.

[RLWP]

I think the caption about the "changeover valve" is wrong. The reciprocating engines driving the port and starboard props were reversible, in the the conventional way, but the turbine driving the centre prop only ran in forward, using the exhaust steam from the reciprocating engines. The changeover valve's function was to direct the exhaust steam from the recip. engines direct to the condenser when going astern, so that the turbine at least stopped, even if it couldn't contribute reverse thrust.

 

Aside, when all-turbine ships came along, how did they get reverse. Gearboxes?

 

MP.

 

Or separate reverse turbines

 

Richard

[AndrewIC]

By offsetting the crankshaft in the lathe. This is another reason to turn slowly, the out of balance forces will be huge

One hopes it was all firmly bolted down.....

[RLWP]

Gun barrel lathes are big too:

 

 

Notice the operator riding on the carriage

 

Of course, having machined something, you need to inspect it:

 

 

Inspecting the rifling on a 15" gun barrel in WWI

 

Richard

[RLWP]

Aha - crank pin machining:

 

 

 

Richard

[Ray T]

Gun barrel lathes are big too:

 

 

Notice the operator riding on the carriage

 

Of course, having machined something, you need to inspect it:

 

 

 

Inspecting the rifling on a 15" gun barrel in WWI

 

Richard

 

 

Were these taken at Red Lane Coventry?

 

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/18368

 

Also here about 1/2 way down the page.

 

http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/coventryloopline.htm

 

[Bee]

How on earth do they cut the rifling on a thing like that? Using a broach?

[RLWP]

How on earth do they cut the rifling on a thing like that? Using a broach?

 

Now I'll have to go Googling again...

 

Ray, one of those are at the C.O.W, I think one is at Armstrongs

 

Richard

Edited April 17, 2016 by RLWP

[RLWP]

Right, the answer is - with a rifling machine:

 

 

Richard

Edited April 17, 2016 by RLWP

[Ray T]

 

Now I'll have to go Googling again...

 

Ray, one of those are at the C.O.W, I think one is at Armstrongs

 

Richard

 

Thank you, I went in there (C.O.W.) with an engineer in my apprenticeship with the GPO.

 

Been on top of the gasometer at Foleshill too.

Edited April 17, 2016 by Ray T

[the barnacle]

its engineering like this that put the Great in Great Britain, those cranks are huge.

[FadeToScarlet]

its engineering like this that put the Great in Great Britain, those cranks are huge.

It is truly great engineering, but the "great" in Great Britain just means "big" or "large", to distinguish the larger island landmass from Ireland and the other islands; the old fashioned usage of the word.

[MoominPapa]

its engineering like this that put the Great in Great Britain, those cranks are huge.

... and interestingly, the crank throws are not evenly spaced, They're balanced using something with the wonderful name of "The Yarrow, Schlick, and Tweedy system" and the crank angles are very odd, 54, 100, 106, 100 degrees. The two LP cylinders' cranks are 54 degrees apart.

 

MP.

[Giant]

its engineering like this that put the Great in Great Britain, those cranks are huge.

 

Nonsense. All of this was done in Belfast!

Edited April 17, 2016 by Giant

[matty40s]

 

Nonsense. All of this was don

Good old Don eh...

[RLWP]

 

Nonsense. All of this was done in Belfast!

 

In 1912

 

Richard