What material are the engine cowls of the Handley Page Hampden made from?

[Dave Swindell]

18 hours ago, V Line said:

It appears that inconel was used for British wartime aircraft exhausts if not those of other nations.

 

According to extracts from ‘The Design and Development of Exhaust Systems for Rolls Royce Engines’ RR Ltd, Hucknall Aerodrome May 1943’ (contained within the thread linked below) Rolls Royce used it exclusively for their exhaust manifolds although wartime shortages of nickel later necessitated the use of metals with lower nickel content.

 

As to the Hampden and it’s Bristol Pegasus engines I am unable to further assist. It is possible that the Filton museum may be able to help as and when they re-open:

 

https://aerospacebristol.org/

 

The following linked thread contains the report extracts referred to above and very useful technical comment on the use and types of alloys used for exhaust manifolds of different types, including an extract from an British analysis of the Japanese Sakae engine. (Metallurgical Examination of a Japanese Sakae 21 Aircraft Engine (1944).’):

 

https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/143045-historic-aviation-metallurgy-exhausts

Very interesting, looks like at least RR were using Inconel much earlier than I thought, though it does confirm use of specialist stainless steels for this application in general if not specifically for Bristol's engines.

[303sqn]

Inconel was not developed in the 1940s for the specific purpose of turbine blades. In the 1940s British metallurgist Dr Leonard Bessemer Pfeil developed a family of Nimonic (50%+  nickel, 20% chromium), alloys for turbine blades used in the first jet engines, at the Wiggin Company.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimonic

 

In 1929 Wiggin was taken over by the International Nickel Company. Inconel is the name INCO gave to the nickel chromium alloys developed at NICO’s Huntington plant in the late 1920s/early 1930s.

 

https://www.theclio.com/entry/13756

 

Inconel is a registered trademark, serial number 71333517, registration number 0308200, filing date 30/12/1932, registration date  21/11/1933. First use in commerce 25/11/1932.

 

[Walter Lindekens]

Hi all, 

 

As per a Bristol commercial brochure on their Mercury and Pegasus engines of the time,  their exhaust collector rings are manufactured from one-piece steel pressings, a method of construction originated by the Bristol Company in 1935.  All joints are riveted and the whole unit is nickel-plated inside and out as a protection against corrosion.

 

Cheers,

 

Walter

 

 

[Simon Nonymous]

 

The Duxford Blenheim Mk1F - I'm trying to recreate this in 1:48th right now, dry brushing silver on over the copper, then a bit of thin brown wash over the remaining copper.... seems to be going ok, let me see if I have a better pic to hand.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Simon Nonymous