Development of the Kirkaldy Testing Museum from 1980 Hugh MacGillivray, Tim Crichton, Peter Skilton and Denis Smith

ASTM Workshop on the History of Mechanical Testing Tampa FL 13th November 2011

Overview

Introduction David Kirkaldy and Materials Testing Starting the Museum A Museum Tour The Present Position The Future Introduction

David Kirkaldy was a dominant figure in British and European th engineering circles during the second half of the 19 Century His work on materials testing laid the foundations for modern practices and standard test methods His splendid Testing Works survives in Southwark, London complete with his great testing machine still in working order A Museum Trust was established in 1983 to conserve the Works and publicise Kirkaldy’s work David Kirkaldy 1820 –1897 and Materials Testing

Born in Dundee, Scotland to a merchant family Educated at Edinburgh University Apprenticed at Napier’s Vulcan Foundry in 1843 Designed steamships, engines and boilers By 1847 he was Chief Draughtsman and Calculator Started his mammoth comparative test program on iron & steel in 1858 with results published in 1862

David resigned from Napier’s to design his testing machine, patented in 1863 The machine was built by Greenwood & Batley of Leeds Machine sent to London in 1865 & started work in The Grove, Southwark New Testing Works built at 99 Southwark St was opened in 1874 Manufacturers sent materials from all over the world ‐ he tested parts for James Eads 1867 St Louis Bridge over the Mississippi River

A prominent member of the Steel Committee 1866 –71 and of the Tay Bridge Enquiry 1880

The Testing Works of 1874

street level testing machine 1st storey workshop 2nd storey storage area 3rd storey Museum of Fractures

the Works from Southwark Street

The Tay Bridge Disaster 1879

The new Tay Bridge collapsed during a storm on the night of 28th December while a train was crossing –75 people died. The design was questioned and David Kirkaldy tested sections of the bridge for the Commission of Enquiry –and fell out with them!

End‐on view of the lattice high girders The rebuilt bridge today The Works in the 20th Century William George Kirkaldy 1862 ‐ 1914 took over the Works after David’s death

He developed a tensile impact machine and published his results in 1910

William George was also closely involved with establishing the National Physical Laboratory

From 1914, his widow Annie ran the Works with Dr Gulliver as manager

Kirkaldy’s supervised the construction of the original Empire Stadium at Wembley built in 1923

David Kirkaldy 1910 – 1992 joined in 1934

Parts for the 1951 Festival of Britain Skylon & of the de Havilland Comet aircraft that

crashed off Elba in 1954 were tested at the

Works

Establishing & Developing the Museum

Decline of the Testing Works in the 1970’s Saving & listing the building and machine Building restoration by the Industrial Buildings Preservation Trust

Setting up the Museum Trust Getting the big machine back into working order The Friends of the Museum & conserving the exhibits The Testing Works in the 1970’s

After 99 years of operation, David’s grandson also David [1910‐ 92] retired to Brighton in 1965 with no family successor.

The Works was sold to Treharne & Davies, chemical consultants. They ran down the mechanical testing side of the business, closed the Works in 1974 & moved to Wales, taking only the nameplates of the machine, which was not in working order.

The building then reverted to the Crown Estate who owned the land. Luckily they did nothing, which saved the building from development and the machine from the scrap‐yard! Saving the Machine and the Building

Members of the Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society first visited in 1974, and later the building and machine were listed for preservation –this was the first case of a machine being listed as part of a building The first museum proposal was made in 1978, and the Kirkaldy Testing Museum was finally set up as a charity in 1983 The Industrial Buildings Preservation Trust obtained finance, bought the whole building from the Crown Estate & divided the space, with the Kirkaldy Testing Museum occupying most of the ground floor and basement Three storeys of commercial offices above provide an income for the owners of the building, but not for the Museum which is self‐financing Some Milestones in developing the Museum 1983 ‐ 2011 The building conservation phase was very disruptive –almost everything was moved out, stored & then moved back Large quantities of rubbish had to be cleared The high‐pressure cylinder was bored in position and a new oversize piston & leather seal made and fitted; a small electric water pump now powers the machine Had to catalogue thousands of machines, machine parts & books Conserved & restored the existing machines and new donations Power & lighting was installed entirely by volunteers Established a small machine shop with lathe & mill Fitted glass block pavement lights to replace original iron grills An Engineering Heritage award was made by I Mech E in 1987 The Objectives of the Museum

To preserve David Kirkaldy’s machine in good working order and close to its original condition

To retain as far as possible the Victorian character of the Works To explain to the public Kirkaldy’s role in developing quality control by regular monthly opening and special open days

To store and exhibit the Kirkaldy archive, and develop a library on the history of materials testing

To build and maintain a representative collection of working testing machines The Museum is

Open on the first Sunday of every month Staffed entirely by volunteers Visited by 500 plus people a year Always short of money! A Museum Tour Kirkaldy’s 440 ton machine The Riehle universal machine The 1925 Avery Izod pendulum machine Concrete & cement testing The small Avery tensile machine Wire Testing Equipment The Book Collection The Extensometer Collection A general view of David Kirkaldy’s 440 ton machine of 1865

The machine is single‐acting water hydraulic powered and has a designed load capacity of 1,000,000 lb ‐ 446 UK tons –500 US tons at 6700 psi. The actuator is 18 inch diameter and 6 ft stroke. Samples up to 20 ft long can be tested in tension or compression, and up to 26 ft span in bending. Crushing, shear and torsion tests are also possible.

hydraulic piston and cylinder moving carriage

tension workspace and horizontal lever steelyard showing upper and lower beams one of the extension beams view along the main frame

gearing for the moving carriage

The late Prof Cedric Turner explaining the machine’s operation view from below showing large torsion bearings The 60,000lb Riehle Machine

This tension‐compression machine was made in Philadelphia PA by the Riehle Bros in about 1890. It has a very compact compound‐lever force measurement system and a force‐displacement recording drum.

The machine crosshead is screw‐ driven with provision for 2‐speed hand or power drive from overhead lineshaft. It worked in the Mechanical Engineering Dept at Imperial College London from new until 1985, and was then donated to the Kirkaldy Museum.

recording drum precise force measurement

knife‐edge supports to levers

Restoring the 1925 Avery Izod pendulum machine

The specimen clamp assembly was missing, so new parts were manufactured at the Museum from high‐strength steel. Replacement shaft bearing caps have also been made, but some parts to complete the indicator are still required.

Making new bearing caps from aluminum alloy Concrete & cement testing

Concrete cube molds and compacter

Basement concrete preparation & test area with 100 ton hydraulic press

Tensile test machine for cement briquettes The small Avery tensile machine

This small machine is typical of a class of simple weight‐loaded testing machines designed for use in small workshops. It takes up little space and can be operated by unskilled staff.

This machine was built by W&T Avery in Birmingham, England in 1926, and used by Irvin Parachute Company for testing webbing until 2002!

The force on the specimen is transmitted by a flat steel strap to the moving pendulum, hence lifting it up the curved scale. When the specimen breaks, a clever ratchet holds the pendulum in position. There are 3 load ranges and a simple extension gauge is fitted.

The Irvin factory –the Avery machine is about the same age! Fabric test in progress Wire Testing

A hand‐operated machine for reverse bending tests A hand tool for finishing the cut ends of wire rope –and a

wooden pattern in case we

ever want to make another

one!

Tarnogrocki wire torsion machine made in Essen,

Germany about

1900. The dial counts 100 turns of the handle

The Book Collection Works record Report of the Iron & book from 1920’s Steel Committee 1871

Early 20th C book on materials testing

showing Kirkaldy’s machine assembled for trials at Greenwood & Batleys Works in Leeds in 1865

Most of the library is housed in David Kirkaldy’s original office, now restored and presided over by a modern portrait of the great man!

Some of our books on display in a period bookcase, with 1890’s photographs of the works on the left The Extensometer Collection

KTM has a large and ever‐growing collection

which was the subject of

an MSc Thesis by Paul

McCarthy and should be

published properly

The Present Position

Technical objectives of 1983 have largely been achieved Legal and financial position is satisfactory Visitor numbers are steady Museum is well‐known in UK and worldwide Museum Friends are aging but enthusiastic

But…..

We now have commercial landlords who pass on all costs Our low income –low cost business model may not be sustainable New income sources are badly needed Need to reshape the Board to be more business‐oriented Also need to attract and retain younger Museum Friends The first 30 years has been hard work The future will be challenging!