Kynal was a brand name for a series of aluminium alloys developed and originally produced by the British chemical manufacturer Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI).[1] The name was derived from Kynoch, an existing ICI trademark for ammunition, and aluminium. It was largely used as substitute for Alclad, a popular corrosion-resistant aluminium alloy.
ICI produced Kynal in quantity at a facility in Waunarlwydd, outside Swansea. The material was extensively used by the British aviation industry during the Second World War, being recognised as a strategic resource. Numerous variations upon the material were devised by ICI around this time. During the 1950s, British Railways became a key consumer of Kynal, using the material on numerous members of its new fleet of diesel traction, including the first generation diesel multiple units (DMUs). By the twenty-first century, the material was largely considered to be obsolete, while the Waunarlwydd chemical works was permanently closed during the 2000s.
History
A key facility involved in the production of Kynal was the Ministry of Aircraft Production's factory at Waunarlwydd,[2] near Swansea. ICI built and operated the plant on the government's behalf.[3] Functionally, Kynal was similar to, and could be a substitute for, Alclad.[4] Applications included various forged items, including pipework, vessels, and heat exchangers, as well as fuselage elements of aircraft.[5][6] By 1938, the material was being producing at a very high volume as a consequence of the European powers having entered a period of rearmament around the time of Munich crisis, which led into the Second World War.[7]
During the postwar era, Kynal continued to hold its strategic importance.[8] The material proliferated throughout British engineering throughout the 1950s and 1960s; it began to be used in the frames of road vehicles during the mid 1950s.[9] Kynal was used extensively for British Railways' modernisation of the 1950s, specifically in the construction of the publicly-owned organisation's new diesel fleet.[10] The majority of the 'lightweight' diesel multiple units (DMUs) featured the material.[11] Around the same era, the company was also involved in studies into the use of Kynal as a roofing material.[12]
By the twenty-first century, Kynal was largely considered to be obsolete as a material.[13] During the 2000s, the original Waunarlwydd plant, which was by then owned by Alcoa, was closed down.[14][15] Despite this, research efforts into fields such as battery technology have involved the use of Kynal.[16]
Table
| Al | Cu | Mg | Si | Mn | Ni | Zn | Others | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | |||||||||
| Kynal P5 | ≥99.5 | Pure aluminium [17] | |||||||
| Kynal P10 | ≥99 | ||||||||
| Aluminium–silicon alloys | |||||||||
| Kynal PA15 | 12 | Brazing wire [18][19] | |||||||
| Kynal PA16 | 5 | ||||||||
| Kynal PA17 | 5 | ||||||||
| Aluminium–manganese alloys | |||||||||
| Kynal PA19 | 1.25 | [20] | |||||||
| Aluminium–magnesium alloys | |||||||||
| Kynal M35/1 | 2 | [21] | |||||||
| Kynal M35/2 | 3 | ||||||||
| Kynal M36 | 5 | ||||||||
| Kynal M37 | 7 | ||||||||
| Aluminium–magnesium–silicon alloys | |||||||||
| Kynal M39/1 | 0.7 | 0.5 | [22] | ||||||
| Kynal M39/2 | 0.7 | 1 | |||||||
| Aluminium–copper alloys | |||||||||
| Kynal 90 | 2.2 | 0.3 | [23] | ||||||
| Kynal C65 | 4 | 0.6 | 0.5 | [23] | |||||
| Kynal C66 | 4.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 | |||||
| Kynal C67 | 4.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 | |||||
| Kynal C69 | 1 | 1 | [22] | ||||||
| Nickel–aluminium alloys | |||||||||
| Kynal Y88 | 2.6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.1% Ti | [23] | |||
| Kynal Y92 | 4 | 1.5 | 2 | ||||||
| Aluminium–zinc alloys | |||||||||
| Kynal Z93 | 0.4 | 2.7 | 5.3 | [24] | |||||
| Kynal-Core C65A | Pure aluminium-clad forms of the corresponding alloys [25] | ||||||||
| Kynal-Core C66A | |||||||||
| Kynal-Core C67A | |||||||||
| Kynal-Core C68A | |||||||||
| Kynal-Core Z93A | |||||||||
See also
- Kycube, a similarly named series of copper beryllium alloys produced by IMI.
References
Citations
- ^ "ICI Metals Division". Grace's Guide.
- ^ 51°38′41″N 4°01′16″W / 51.644727°N 4.021163°W
- ^ "ICI Metal Works; Alcoa Aluminium Factory, Waunarlwydd, Gowerton". Coflein.
- ^ Ross 2013, p. 50.
- ^ J. H. Argyris; S. Kelsey (1 May 1959). "The Analysis of Fuselages of Arbitrary Cross-section and Taper: A DSIR Sponsored Research Programme on the Development and Application of the Matrix Force Method and the Digital Computer". Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology. 31 (5): 133–143. doi:10.1108/eb033113. ISSN 0002-2667.
- ^ "Curtailing Corrosion in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering". Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials. 5 (6): 195–196. 1 August 1958. doi:10.1108/eb019457. ISSN 0003-5599.
- ^ "ICI Advertisement". Flight. 9 June 1938. p. 14.
- ^ "The British Light-alloy Industry". Flight. 10 June 1955. pp. 808–811.
- ^ "Kynal lightens". The Automobile Engineer. 1956. p. 125.
- ^ Carter, R. S. (1963). "North British Locomotive Co. diesel-hydraulic B-B Type 2 (British Rail Class 22)". British Railways Main-Line Diesels. Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 28–29.
- ^ "Going Ahead with 'Kynal'". Grace's Guide.
- ^ Kynal, p. 173, at Google Books
- ^ Ross 2013, pp. 9, 50.
- ^ "Jobs cut at metal plant". BBC News. 21 January 2003.
- ^ "298 jobs to go as factory shuts". BBC News. 21 November 2006.
- ^ "JP3363910B2: Non-aqueous thin battery". Google =. 1998.
- ^ Metallic Materials Specification, p. 9.
- ^ Metallic Materials Specification, p. 17.
- ^ 'Kynal' Solders and 'Kynal' Flux for Soldering Aluminium. ICI. 1953.
- ^ Metallic Materials Specification, p. 12.
- ^ Metallic Materials Specification, p. 26.
- ^ a b Metallic Materials Specification, p. 34.
- ^ a b c Metallic Materials Specification, p. 41.
- ^ Metallic Materials Specification, p. 47.
- ^ Metallic Materials Specification, p. 50.
Bibliography
- Ross, R. B. (2013). Metallic Materials Specification Handbook (4 ed.). Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9781461534822.
- Frick, John P., ed. (2000). Woldman's Engineering Alloys. Materials data series. ASM International. pp. 667–668. ISBN 9780871706911.
External links
This page was last edited on 27 April 2024, at 16:57