Light-alloy Service to Road Transport
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THE combination of a greatly enlarged export market and an increasingly intensive rearmament programme has resulted in a considerable shortage of essential materials, including some of the most important employed in the construction of all types of commercial vehicle in respect of both chassis and bodies.
Fortunately, for a great many purposes, light alloys can supplement, and in some cases entirely replace, steel, and whilst the production of aluminium and other light metals is probably no greater than before rearmament commenced, our industry is reasonably well favoured because of its high achievements in the export field. The road transport industry is, in fact, one of the largest individual users of light alloys, particularly aluminium, and at the time rearmament was introduced, almost 20 per cent. of the total output of these alloys was absorbed by it. It is not a shortage of steel, however, that has promoted employment of the lighter metals. It is their own basic qualities of light weight, high strength-to-weight ratio, ease of working and a satisfactory degree of resistance to corrosion. In a large measure they develop their own surface protection and this, combined with the additional measures often taken, give these materials an exceptionally long life. What we wish to emphasize now, however, is the invaluable assistance afforded to users by the larger suppliers and the Aluminium Development Association Quite apart from the many specially shaped extrusions and the highly finished sheet metals which cover virtually every need, bodybuilders, in particular, can rely to a remarkable extent upon the technical departments of the suppliers. • From them they can obtain not only helpful and accurate information as to how the materials can best be employed, and as to the means and methods which experience has proved to be most effective in joining structural members and securing internal sheeting and panelling, but also actual designs in considerable variety.
There is also growing an interesting and practical co-operation between certain specialist bodybuilders and material suppliers, by which the experience of the former can be made available to both small and large organizations in countries abroad, thus permitting local coachbuilders to construct advanced forms of body in light alloys with the certainty that the correct procedure is beinci followed and that the results will almost undoubtedly give satisfactory service. Naturally, in such cases, the materials employed would be supplied by the particular producers from whom the designs have been obtained.
There are right and wrong ways of treating almost every material, and far too often in the past the wrong have been adopted, resulting in dissatisfaction which has sometimes risen to condemnation. Now, at least in connection with the use of light metals, the comparatively inexperienced can tap sources of knowledge covering many years of theory and practice.