Establishment of a
Research Laboratory
Kiichiro Toyoda believed that independent development of new
technology would lead to industrial growth, and as such it was necessary to
continually conduct research and create something new. His thoughts are
captured below.
I want to gradually get rid of this attitude of taking the
easiest path by taking someone else's hard work and making it one's own-which
is the way that we have relied on the West until now. Of course, there are
times when we need to import the achievements of others as is. But when we do
so, though we have the ability to take such hard won achievements and improve
on them, by taking the toils of others we only learn how to enjoy the benefits
and we in the end lack the power and drive to further advance those
innovations. If we want to truly make Japan's industry independent, we have to
cultivate that drive.
Kiichiro emphasized both practical skills and scientific
research, and in May 1936 he established a research laboratory in Shibaura,
Tokyo. Eiji Toyoda, who had joined the Automotive Department of Toyoda
Automatic Loom Works, Ltd. a month earlier in April that year headed up the
laboratory. Kiichiro's thoughts about scientific research can be glimpsed
through the following comment:
"[The automotive industry] is the industry that should be at
the forefront of civilization, adopting science's latest innovations. It's an
industry that relies on the culmination of knowledge from numerous quarters,
not just the knowledge of a single engineer."
According to Kiichiro, technology progressed through
integrally combining practical skills with scientific research. A
representative from the workshop affirmed, "when creating a prototype, he
first got an engineer to make it, and if it worked, then he got an academic to
figure out the theory".
Building that housed the Shibaura Laboratory (later the
Toyoda Physical and Chemical Research Institute)
The Shibaura Laboratory investigated radiators, gas
generators for charcoal powered vehicles, and parts for Japanese-made vehicles,
disassembled and sketched a German DKW car, and investigated various
aeronautical machines and equipment, such as the French-made light aircraft
'Pou', helicopters, autogyros, rockets, and related machine tools.
The research laboratory of the Automotive Department of
Toyoda Automatic Loom Works became the Research Division of Toyota Motor Co.,
Ltd. upon the latter's establishment in August 1937. The research advisors were
academic friends of Kiichiro.
Topics of research included different parts, materials and
processes such as cogs, radiators, crankshafts, stamping and steel plates, as
well as engine performance. Many of Kiichiro's high school and university
friends assisted in the research. Results of the investigations and research
were published in the magazine Kikai oyobi Denki ("Machines and
Electricity"; first published in May 1936), as the Research Division
sought to obtain and disseminate the latest knowledge while embarking on its
research and development projects. The magazine carried numerous articles
written by the division's research advisors.
Researching Casting
Technology
Not long after Toyoda Automatic Loom Works began operations
in 1927, the company installed a 1.5-ton electric arc furnace, as instructed by
Kiichiro. The furnace was used to melt cast iron. Cast iron produced by an
electric furnace was harder and had greater tensile strength than that produced
by a cupola furnace; in other words, the cast metal exhibited superior
mechanical properties. Later, in 1930, alloy cast iron produced by the electric
furnace was used in parts for the spinning machines.
According to Umeji Harada, who had been a foundry worker at
Toyoda Automatic Loom Works since its earliest days, the company was the first
in Japan to produce cast iron using an electric furnace. Later, in 1933 when
the company placed an order with Daido Electric Steel Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
(now Daido Steel Co., Ltd.) for a 800 kVA 3-ton electric arc furnace, it is
said that Daido responded by saying that they don't manufacture electric
furnaces to melt cast iron. At the time, producing cast iron using an electric
furnace was unknown territory even for electric furnace manufacturers.
A cast cylinder block
In conjunction with the installation of the Daido electric
furnace at Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Kiichiro instructed the R&D
personnel to conduct further research into electric furnace-produced cast iron.
The purpose was to create alloy cast iron for cylinder blocks. The R&D
personnel analyzed the composition of the cylinder blocks from a Chevrolet
engine, and based on the results of their analysis created prototype molds using
the electric furnace. They then analyzed the composition of the prototype
molds, repeating the whole process as necessary. In order to do this, someone
capable of analyzing the alloy cast iron composition was deployed to the
foundry. These efforts resulted in the R&D personnel being able to
replicate cylinder blocks for the A Engine of the same special composition
(nickel-chromium cast iron) as the Chevrolet cylinder blocks.
Subsequently, in May 1934, the research laboratory began
making prototype cylinder block molds. Earlier in March that year, Director
Risaburo Oshima had returned to Japan from the United States and brought with
him some oil cores no larger than one's little finger, allowing the R&D
team to manufacture oil cores for use in casting the Type A Engine cylinder
blocks. But the core-making had its own difficulties.
The R&D team had gained some knowledge about oil cores
from U.S. casting-related journals such as Foundry and Foundry Trade Journal,
but it was the first time that they had seen the real thing. The team procured
tung oil, which is applied to paper lanterns and umbrellas to waterproof them,
from a paper umbrella maker in Gifu, to use as the drying oil to be mixed in
with the sand. The oil was mixed in with sand taken from a beach on the Chita
Peninsula in Aichi Prefecture. The oil-sand mix was then put into a wooden
mold, and fired in a ceramics kiln. The ratio of oil to sand, firing
temperature and time were all individually adjusted until the team gained a
good understanding of how to make the oil cores. Furthermore, because the
single oil core for the hollow portion of the three cylinders and crank room
was so large and heavy, and because it was so difficult to make, it was
separated lengthwise into two in the direction of the cylinder arrangement.
A mold for the cylinder block was finally completed in
August 1934. However, when machine boring the inside of the cylinders, small
pits4 were forming, making the cylinders unfit for use. After turning out ten
cast cylinder blocks, only one or two were making it through the machining
process. A similar problem occurred at around the time the Model G1 truck was
launched in November 1935.
The team discovered that by further machining away the
inside of the cylinders the pits would disappear. After asking the research
laboratory of the Steelmaking Department to perform some materials tests, the
team determined that by significantly increasing the amount of cutting stock,
they could almost completely eliminate the number of defect molds. It was
through this kind of repeated trial and error that the Automotive Department's
research laboratory developed the basic technology necessary for manufacturing
automobiles.
The company initially outsourced production of malleable
parts for the chassis and drive system, but later changed to in-house
production. The composition of malleable cast iron differs from regular cast
iron, and because there was no quick way to analyze the composition, adjusting
it was very difficult. Specialized knowledge was necessary to determine the
composition of melted samples, so the company brought in an experienced foundry
worker from another company, allowing it to make the changeover to internal
production.
In 1937, Kiichiro instructed the R&D team to investigate
Ford's cast steel crankshaft. The team conducted tests at a steel foundry,
pouring melted steel from a high-frequency induction furnace into molds. But
creating steel crankshafts was an extremely difficult task, due to the fact
that cast steel is highly viscous when melted (so it is difficult to make it
run throughout the mold) and because it also contracts considerably when it
solidifies, which gives rise to pitting.
After the Koromo Plant was completed, while forged
crankshafts made by Toyoda Automatic Loom Works' Kariya Plant were used,
research continued into steel crankshafts made at the No. 2 Special Foundry for
cast steel. However, manually filling in the pits created during machining of
the steel crankshafts was very laborious (one particular crankshaft had 60 pits
that required filling). In the end, the R&D team failed to develop a
satisfactory cast steel crankshaft, so had to use the forged crankshafts made
at the Kariya Plant's steel foundry instead.
Developing the technology to create a cast crankshaft had to
wait until after World War II. In January 1953, the Automotive Department
installed ductile cast iron (DCI) technology, and with the launch of the
(Model) P Engine, which employed a DCI crankshaft, in October 1959, the company
finally realized its long-awaited goal of commercializing a cast crankshaft.
Specialty Steel
Research and Development and Forging Technology Research
The greatest problem for the advancement of the automotive
business was the absence of steel materials suited to automotive manufacturing.
High quality steel products were supplied for weapons use in ships and
aircraft, but steel materials suited to the mass production of automobiles had
not been developed. Despite requests for development made to steel
manufacturing companies, due to the limited consumption none of the companies
would undertake the work.
Rolling work using a
small rolling mill at the steelworks
Kiichiro Toyoda consulted Dr. Kotaro Honda1 of Tohoku
Imperial University in Sendai to ascertain whether Japan had the steel
manufacturing technology to enable the manufacturing of steel materials for
automotive use. He then proceeded to arrange for the construction of a
steelworks and, in January 1934, the Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd.
Steelmaking Department was established.2 After completion of the steelworks
building in July that year, operation of a 2-ton electric furnace was commenced
in September and a 4-ton electric furnace in October, with installation of a
merchant mill completed in November.
Physical Testing Laboratory
(physical experimentation room)
In addition, Kiichiro's acquaintance, Dr. Ryonosuke Yamada
of the Tokyo Institute of Technology-who was familiar with material testing-was
asked to propose plans for materials testing facilities for the Steelmaking Department.
Based on his advice, facilities were introduced for the testing and analysis of
prototype steel materials, and specialty steel research commenced.
In developing the new types of steel, the steel was first
tested in the research laboratory's 5 kilograms high-frequency induction
furnace. In the testing of the prototypes, after meeting the target properties,
the prototypes were forged from steel ingots into successively larger electric
furnaces then, following quality confirmation, manufactured in a 2 or 4-ton
furnace.
At first, simple types of steel were produced. Starting with
structural carbon steel SA1 (equivalent to the current S25C3) used for loom
materials, and proceeding to the similar structural carbon steel SA2
(equivalent to the current S40C), case hardened carbon steel SA9 (equivalent to
the current S15CK) and various types of steel such as spring steel SS4 and
carbon tool steel SB2 and 3 (currently SK3 to SK6), were developed.
The Toyoda Automatic Loom Works Steelmaking Department aimed
to manufacture steel materials suited to the mass production of automobiles?in
other words, durable steel materials with good machinability, and consistent
quality and dimensions. The Department later expanded its production capacity
due to the increase in Toyota automobile production. However, the Steelmaking
Department was spun off in 1940 to make use of the benefits of being a licensed
company under the Steel Manufacturing Industries Law. In this way, Toyoda Steel
Works, Ltd. was established on March 8, 1940. In November 1945, its name was
changed to Aichi Steel Works, Ltd.
Shortly prior to the establishment of Toyoda Steel Works,
Ltd., from January 1940 to the end of that year, U.S. engineer Louis Henry
Berry provided advice at the steelworks.4 He was an engineer who came to Japan
to provide technical advice on the U.S. made electric furnace introduced by
Nihon Spindle Manufacturing Co., Ltd.5, and was also an expert on steel
manufacturing technology. Shoichi Saito6 served as an interpreter and assistant
for the obtaining of the engineer's advice.
After the establishment of the Toyoda Automatic Loom Works
Steelmaking Department, production of prototype forged parts for use in
automobiles was commenced using three free hammers (2 ton, 1 ton and 1/2 ton),
which were also used as forging equipment in the manufacturing of spinning and
weaving machinery. Subsequently, in the year leading up to the start of 1935,
the equipment was increased by four closed die forging stamp hammers (two 1
ton, one 1/2 and one 1/4 ton), used for the stamp forging of automobile parts.
In 1937, another 2-ton free hammer was added.
In the forging of the crankshaft for the Model A
six-cylinder engine, after preforming it into a crude form using a 1-ton free
hammer, the crankshaft was forged using a 2-ton free hammer with a forging die
attached. However, the 2-ton equipment was inadequate for the purpose, so the
forging die was divided into two parts and performing conducted twice. The
forging die was then completed by molding the two parts into a single piece.
There was also a problem with the fabrication of the pins
joining the crankshaft and connecting rod. It was necessary to make 120 degree
angles (which could currently be accomplished simply by a twisting process) but
at the time there was no specialized equipment. Consequently, it was very
difficult work, and an overhead traveling crane was used to raise the pin and
make the angle.
In the Steelmaking Department's forging plant, prototypes of
forged parts for automobiles were progressing. In addition to crankshafts,
parts including camshafts, connecting rods, valve rocker arms, push rods,
differential ring gears and rear axle shafts were successfully manufactured.
When the Model A1 prototype passenger car was finished in May 1935, all of its
forged parts were made in the forging plant.
Source: TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION
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