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1918 ? Wooden Propeller
Propeller
Origin
This laminated wooden propeller was given to me by Heenan & Froude Ltd, Worcester, England in 1964 where I was serving an engineering apprenticeship at the time.
Heenans were a very well known engineering company who specialised in the design and manufacture of engine test plant. Some of these machines were dynamometers, normally coupled to the engine under test. Other systems measured thrust of gas turbines, or propellers. These latter systems involved a carriage flexibly mounted on leaf springs with a mechanical (or later electronic) thrust measuring load cell.
This site gives some of the Heenans history http://www.miac.org.uk/heenan.htm
The propeller was abandoned in a loft above a large workshop shown in the photograph at location “L2” in the website mentioned and now housing the Worcester Tools and Fixings Ltd company.
I believe that this workshop had been used for proving engine test plant and that the propeller was part of a test rig. As far as I can tell this was towards the end of the 1st World War, around 1918, perhaps a bit later.
The manufacturers of the propeller, Armstrong Whitworth, would have been one of Heenans engine manufacturing customers. Over the years these included makers of locomotives , marine engines, car engines (including racing cars of all sorts) and aero engines.
The following sites refer to the history of the Beardmore engine to which the propeller would have been coupled http://thevintageaviator.co.nz/proje...engine-history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beardmore_160_hp
and this one a restored 160HP Beardmore engine running at the Vintage Aviator Company in New Zealand.
http://thevintageaviator.co.nz/proje...-engine-action
Description of Propeller
Two-bladed and made of laminated wood and measures 112”(2.84m) from tip to tip of the blades. It has a central mounting boss with 8 fastening holes.
It has various inscriptions:
(A) DRG LP 2390A
160HP BEARDMORE
ARMSTRONG WHITWORTH
(B) D 2840
PI 99680(?)
(C) P3 in a circular indent
(D) PTN 28253/09
(E) 189 (?) alongside bolt hole
The propeller is pretty much intact, although it is missing the fabric covering on the blade tips and has several relatively small dents acquired over the years. It has a turned brass plate covering the central hole in the boss. This is just a decorative addition and can be easily removed
In the right hands it could be restored to its former glory.
After nearly 50 years I’m afraid that I don’t have the space to keep it any longer so I’m looking for a buyer who would appreciate it as a piece of aviation and engineering history.
Richard Woods
Origin
This laminated wooden propeller was given to me by Heenan & Froude Ltd, Worcester, England in 1964 where I was serving an engineering apprenticeship at the time.
Heenans were a very well known engineering company who specialised in the design and manufacture of engine test plant. Some of these machines were dynamometers, normally coupled to the engine under test. Other systems measured thrust of gas turbines, or propellers. These latter systems involved a carriage flexibly mounted on leaf springs with a mechanical (or later electronic) thrust measuring load cell.
This site gives some of the Heenans history http://www.miac.org.uk/heenan.htm
The propeller was abandoned in a loft above a large workshop shown in the photograph at location “L2” in the website mentioned and now housing the Worcester Tools and Fixings Ltd company.
I believe that this workshop had been used for proving engine test plant and that the propeller was part of a test rig. As far as I can tell this was towards the end of the 1st World War, around 1918, perhaps a bit later.
The manufacturers of the propeller, Armstrong Whitworth, would have been one of Heenans engine manufacturing customers. Over the years these included makers of locomotives , marine engines, car engines (including racing cars of all sorts) and aero engines.
The following sites refer to the history of the Beardmore engine to which the propeller would have been coupled http://thevintageaviator.co.nz/proje...engine-history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beardmore_160_hp
and this one a restored 160HP Beardmore engine running at the Vintage Aviator Company in New Zealand.
http://thevintageaviator.co.nz/proje...-engine-action
Description of Propeller
Two-bladed and made of laminated wood and measures 112”(2.84m) from tip to tip of the blades. It has a central mounting boss with 8 fastening holes.
It has various inscriptions:
(A) DRG LP 2390A
160HP BEARDMORE
ARMSTRONG WHITWORTH
(B) D 2840
PI 99680(?)
(C) P3 in a circular indent
(D) PTN 28253/09
(E) 189 (?) alongside bolt hole
The propeller is pretty much intact, although it is missing the fabric covering on the blade tips and has several relatively small dents acquired over the years. It has a turned brass plate covering the central hole in the boss. This is just a decorative addition and can be easily removed
In the right hands it could be restored to its former glory.
After nearly 50 years I’m afraid that I don’t have the space to keep it any longer so I’m looking for a buyer who would appreciate it as a piece of aviation and engineering history.
Richard Woods