Howco at Irvine, Scotland has made good progress with the initial machining of parts for the cylinder block and has commenced welding them together. The middle cylinder assembly is progressing well.
Welding up the middle cylinder assembly – Howco
Progress with the middle cylinder - Howco
Meanwhile William Cook Cast Products (WCCP) has completed casting of the six steam port castings and delivered them to DLW, and a fine job they appear to be. We are in the process of having their joint faces skimmed so that they can be hydraulically tested to check for leaks. Whilst the entire cylinder block will be hydraulically tested by Howco prior to delivery, it is prudent to test the castings separately, as some faces of the steam ports will be inaccessible once they are welded on. Whilst WCCP has extensively subjected the castings to Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), we are aware that from previous experience with bronze castings, even with X-ray inspection, it is not always possible to see minute pin holes which might give rise to leakage, hence the belt and braces approach.
The newly cast steam ports – David Elliott
Hydraulic testing of the cast steam ports - Daniela Filová
Alan Parkin has continued to produce some detailed machining drawings for the valve ports and cylinders. Checking of the valve gear and cam box drawings continues, and the one third scale model of a cam box has been completed. Work continues to refine the material specifications for the critical items including cams and cam followers.
Martin Shepherd has largely completed manufacturing drawings for the cambox & its internal components and has worked up designs for lubrication of the valve spindles & oil coolers for the camboxes; the one-third scale 3D printed model of the cambox and its internals was on display at the convention.