Army Development and Proving Establishment

IN the development of equipment the need for experimental testing and proving has long been realized by leading engineers. To support this contention one may quote the words of Frederick Henry Royce whose organization designed and produced the engines which powered the British fighting planes in the Battle of Britain.

He wrote:—

“Nothing is to proceed on the basis of theory or intuition alone, even one’s own sure judgment and vast fund of knowledge are no substitute for recorded results from the Test Bench … Experiments produce the only safe result to follow.”

It was inevitable then, that at the outbreak of hostilities, the Australian Army should feel the need of an establishment capable of checking by actual experiment the design and development of its many new and warlike stores.

In 1941, under the Chief Military Advisor, the Design Directorate was formed, and to this Directorate was allotted the, task of organizing an experimental section to be known as the Mechanization Experimental Establishment. This was later to become the Development and Proving Establishment. From a choice of rural facilities, “Mintaro House” at Monegeeta, some 35 miles from Melbourne, in the foothills of the Macedon ranges, was selected, and temporary quarters were established in the old mansion home.

Permanent installations were later erected on the Monegeeta site and by 1943 the new camp was occupied and a staff of 300 engaged in test and developmental work. The scope of this work had also been extended until, by this time, D & PE could deal with all Army experiment and testing with the exception of that of armament and armour, which was carried out at proof ranges under the Inspector-General of Munitions.

Concurrently with the erection of the new camp, the facilities for testing and development were increased and improved. Test tracks for vehicles were constructed covering a complete range from deliberately planned obstacles, through rough cross-country tracks and river crossings, to mountainous jungle traits. Vehicles, both A and B could be subjected to all or any of the conditions (except Arctic) that they would be likely to meet in service.

Comprehensively equipped workshops were built for the production of pilot models of new items of equipment under development, and for the building of special test-rigs and testing apparatus.

An Electronic Section was established and fully equipped with laboratory instruments and apparatus for testing telecommunication and allied equipment. An extreme-cold chamber was built to simulate Arctic conditions, as was a humidity chamber to reproduce the humid temperature of the tropics or the dry [ILLEGIBLE TEXT]eat of the desert. A vibration machine was installed on which electronic and other equipment could be subjected to the rigours of rough usage. High tension apparatus enabled testing to be carried out at pressures up to 70,000 volts.

An electrical workshop was attached to the Electronic Section where pilot models of equipment under development could be manufactured.

D & PE built up a Mechanical Section which, besides the field testing of vehicles as mentioned before, carried out the testing of all general mechanical equipment other than electronic. In this section were housed dynamometers and allied apparatus to measure the horse-power, petrol consumption, water jacket temperatures, etc., of engines under test. A special vehicle called a Tyre Testing Trailer was constructed to measure the adhesion of various tyre patterns and sizes on different classes of road or ground surfaces. An apparatus was developed to give a precise record of the acceleration of a vehicle or the effectiveness of its brakes. Laboratory equipment was installed in a temperature controlled room for the measurement of wear and strength of mechanical components. This section was now capable of giving a complete picture of the mechanical effectiveness of any mechanism.

From time to time the need has arisen for some item of specialized laboratory equipment or process, or the advice or assistance of specialists. Close liaison was, and still is, maintained with Government research authorities and with Universities, and much valuable assistance has been received from these quarters.

Since the end of the war, D & PE has suffered, in common with all other Army establishments, a run-down in man-power, but a nucleus of each section has been preserved. D & PE at the present day is still playing its part in the developing and proving of Army equipment.

Such then is a brief historical description of the Development and Proving Establishment at Monegeeta and the facilities it possesses. Now just what does it all mean? It means that when the Australian soldier goes into the field, he does so with the knowledge that the equipment he will use will have been scientifically and practically tested during its development to ensure as far as is possible that it will continue to function satisfactorily under the most arduous conditions. He will know that the need for maintenance has been cut to a minimum, and, indeed, in many cases, has been predetermined. He will know that not only has this been done, but done under the very conditions under which he may expect to operate.

Remember, “Experiments produce the only safe result to follow.”