How using it to drive a high frequency spindle, maybe using CBN grinding wheel. Need high pressure collant at that speed though.

Brian

Great suggestion Brian. 

Do you think my Z Axis stepper may struggle a little with the +Z moves ??

Tweakie.

 
Hi Tweakie,
 You could direct the exhaust downward to act as an assist.
Might keep the chips clear as well. 

I wish I and one (or 2) of them.
Really cool !

Thanks forthe post,
Russ

Thanks Russ.

I am going to make a framework, on wheels, for mounting this engine and just had the thought that this could be the fastest stationary engine in the UK. 

Tweakie.

Tweakie you are going to make the antique aeroplane restorers CRY. (;-(

Might want to rethink hanging on to piece of history when it would look so good back in its original place as a APU inside one of the old birds(;-)

They would surely put a plaque on it with your name engraved as part of history (;-)

Just a thought, (;-) TP

I understand what you say Terry and you are, of course, quite right but there are probably a lot more of these APU’s than there are Vulcan bombers right now.
There are two Vulcan’s near to me and neither have their APU’s in working order but according to the manual these units have to be run-up and tested every 7 days to stay within service. To keep everything in the aircraft working would need a full time, trained, ground crew of 18 and goodness knows what quantity of spares – an almost impossible task for the historical aircraft preservation groups.

Almost everything about this APU is over engineered and it seems that little consideration for weight has been given in many areas. This Rotax Actuator is one of two (one for the oil cooler radiator blind and one for the ‘run / stop’ fuel valve) and is a typical example where, for instance, the ‘mod record label’, which is just one small (non-critical) part, is fixed with 4 stainless screws which are then locked with seizing wire when a label could have been fixed with small rivets (like the identity label) or even had the legend engraved into the surface.
Both these actuators had age related faults, one with a jammed limit switch and the other with a seized motor shaft brake, but both units working again now.

Overall I do understand that this equipment is historically important and will outlive me so I am really just looking after it and keeping it in working condition for someone else who will perhaps carry out a full restoration job at some future date.

Tweakie.

Everything has to have an identification label (cleaned for the photo). Sadly the Morris marque now belongs to the Nanjing Automobile Corp. and the Morris oxford site is now a business park but for this little oil cooler the memory lives on.

Unfortunately the original oil pressure sender has expired so, for the time being, a more recent model is going to be used.

Tweakie.

A couple of the parts that will no longer be used.

Graviner (Kidde) fire extinguisher system nozzle (1956).
A fire detector, presumably using a eutectic alloy to bridge two contacts (1965).

Both of these, together with one more nozzle and two more detectors were originally fitted to the outer casing above the apu.

Tweakie.

Not a job I was looking forward to doing but it had to be done. The 4 exhaust thermocouples each had asbestos sleeving and this had to be safely removed and replaced with fibreglass braided sleeving.
This is the quantity of asbestos used on one thermocouple and I am not yet certain where I have to take the stuff or how much it will cost for the approved disposal.

Tweakie.

Encapsulate the asbestos in epoxy and put it in the dustbin.

Vince