Payload Supremacy of Alloy Tankers
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OUTUNING the advantages of aluminium construction applied to road tankers, at an open day on Monday arranged by Gloster Equipment Ltd., Miles Tanker Division, at Hucelecote, Mr. K. Hand project manager, stated that the use of light alloy enabled the ratio of payload to gross vehicle weight to be increased to as much as 71 per cent compared with an average of 56-58 per cent provided by mild steel construction.
Particular mention was made by Mr. Hand of the application of aluminium to pressure-dis:harge tankers manufactured to boiler insurance standards and in a later demonstration a 4.000-gal. insulated cylindrical tanker of this type was displayed, designed for a working pressure of 20 p.s.i. This tanker is based on a Leyland Octopus eight-wheeled chassis and will be used to carry edible oil, the insulation material being polyurethane. Normally stainless steel is employed for this type of tanker and it is notable that aluminium affords a reduction in first cost in addition to an increase in payload of 400 gal. Also displayed at the function was a Miles molasses tanker of single compartment type with a capacity of 2,500 to 2,600 gal., designed for easy cleaning and rapid discharge. Sealed boxes in the roof of the tank would enable the gross vehic1.2 weight to be increased from 24 tons to 26 tons if the regulations were amended to permit the higher loading. Other vehicles included a 4,000-gal. articulated tanker with B.T.C. Four-in-Line running gear,. built for the Gulf Oil Co. Ltd., the capacity of which could be increased to 4.325 gal, if a g.v.w. of 26 tons were intro d uced.
In the case of the company's 4,000-gal. rigid fuel tanker of 24 tons g.v.w. mounted on an E.R.F. 88R chassis (the power unit is a Rolls-Royce petrol engine) aluminium construction also provides an increase in payload of 400-gal, compared with a steel tanker. In typical vehicle operations based on six loads per day for 48 five-day weeks the additional payload would enable an extra 576.000-gal. to be carried in a year. This vehicle offers the maximum payload ratio of 71 per cent.