Metropolitan Vickers, the Gas Turbine, and the State: A Socio- Technical History, 1935-1960 A thesis submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Life Sciences 2012 Jakob Whitfield Contents List of Tables: .................................................................................................................................. 5 List of Figures .................................................................................................................................. 5 Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 6 Declaration ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Copyright Statement ....................................................................................................................... 7 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 8 Acronyms, Initialisms, and Abbreviations Used ............................................................................ 10 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 12 Metropolitan Vickers .................................................................................................................... 13 Historiography of the jet engine ................................................................................................... 14 Considering failure ........................................................................................................................ 18 Technological styles and communities ......................................................................................... 19 The state and its institutions......................................................................................................... 20 Structure of the thesis .................................................................................................................. 21 Chapter 1 – Assembling the Gas Turbine: Metrovick, the ARC, and the Air Ministry ................. 24 Air Defence.................................................................................................................................... 25 The Geography of Aeronautical Administration ....................................................................... 28 The Air Ministry ............................................................................................................................. 28 Procurement ................................................................................................................................. 29 The RAE ......................................................................................................................................... 32 The Aeronautical Research Committee and the Engine Sub-Committee ..................................... 36 Metropolitan Vickers.............................................................................................................. 41 Prestige and profits ....................................................................................................................... 41 Military contracts .......................................................................................................................... 44 People and influence .................................................................................................................... 46 Origins of the gas turbine ....................................................................................................... 48 Technological variety .................................................................................................................... 48 Compressors ................................................................................................................................. 51 Consequences ............................................................................................................................... 53 Discussing gas turbines ................................................................................................................. 54 Alternatives ................................................................................................................................... 58 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 60 Chapter 2: Proliferating Projects. ............................................................................................ 62 2 Communities and style ................................................................................................................. 62 Approaching Metrovick ................................................................................................................. 65 Mechanics of collaboration ....................................................................................................... 69 Designs .......................................................................................................................................... 71 Scheme B ................................................................................................................................... 72 ‘Psychology’ and technical style ............................................................................................... 78 Scheme D .................................................................................................................................. 81 Scheme C ................................................................................................................................... 85 Conclusion: multiplying schemes .................................................................................................. 92 Chapter 3: Building a jet engine .............................................................................................. 95 The Ministry of Aircraft Production and Gas Turbines ................................................................. 95 From shaft power to jet propulsion .............................................................................................. 98 Scheme E ................................................................................................................................... 99 Methods of manufacture ........................................................................................................ 102 Metrovick and the jet.................................................................................................................. 104 Enter Armstrongs .................................................................................................................... 109 The RAE gains in importance ...................................................................................................... 112 Other jet projects ........................................................................................................................ 113 The breakdown of collaboration ................................................................................................. 115 The F.2 takes to the skies ........................................................................................................ 117 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 124 Chapter 4: Jets and ships ...................................................................................................... 127 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 127 Defence-industrial Policy ........................................................................................................ 128 Naval R&D and the gas turbine ................................................................................................... 129 Metrovick goes to sea ............................................................................................................. 130 Building and losing the Sapphire ................................................................................................ 135 Seeking partners ..................................................................................................................... 139 The naval gas turbine .................................................................................................................. 145 Powerplant engineering and the Royal Navy.............................................................................. 148 New approaches to powerplant procurement ....................................................................... 150 From steam to joint steam and gas ........................................................................................ 151 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................. 156 Chapter 5 – The civil gas turbine ........................................................................................... 158 3 Nationalisation and the post-war industrial context .................................................................. 159 Metropolitan