Pressure-load Tyre Recorder
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ANEW approach to the gauging of correct tyre inflation is found in the Pneumoskop, an instrument which takes a contour reading of the wail of the tyre, as opposed to recording the tyre pressure in pounds per square inch.
The device consists of a case, enclas Mg the recording mechanism, from which extend two arms bridged by a
flexible band. To gauge the state of intlattan of a loaded tyre the flexible band is thrust against the wall.
If thc deformation of the wall is excessive, pointing to an overloaded or under-inflated condition, the flexible band will be deflected to a proportion
ate degree. As the band deflects it bears on the head of a recorder which, in turn, causes a pointer to move over a dial.
If the wall of the tyre be normal the degree of deflection of the pointer will be small, but if the tyre be grossly overloaded, the pointer will swing over to its maximum
The dial is split up into differentcoloured zones—green, yellow and red. Green indicates correct air-pressure in relation to the load, yellow is a warning that the tyre must not be loaded further, and red indicates an unloaded condition.
The instrument is made by P.M.P.. Ltd.. Innsbruck, Hallerstrasse 9, Munchen, Austria.
(or gravity discharge under cover. This system saves bagging costs and reduces unloading time to a minimum. No ancillary vehicle gear need be fitted and the dead weight is small, particularly if the body is aluminium.
Providing vehicles for the transport of cement in bulk to meet the demand of customers for this form of delivery has enabled Chinnor Transport Ltd., Chinnor, Oxon, to reduce operating costs over and above the substantial saving on paper or jute containers. Albion Chieftain chassis equipped with Duramin 8-ton light. alloy tipping bodies have been employed for the past 12 months, and their use, compared with running platform lorries with packaged loads, has reduced overall running times by at least 10 per cent. by virtue of the quicker turn-round at loading and delivery points. The average length of run is approximately 25 miles.
The bodies have built-on canopies with loading hatches and the protection afforded represents an annual saving of about £30 on canvas sheets. The light-alloy construction enables the payload to be increased by over a ton, giving an advantage in terms of cost per ton-mile of between 10 per cent. and 20 per cent.
Teething troubles with the bodies included air locks when filling through the hatches (which reduced the load capacity), and, when discharging, the creation of a vacuum sufficient to collapse the body panels. These were Overcome by raising the height of the canopy and fitting inverted pipe vents at the forward end. The rubber-sealed tail door was also modified to prevent localized sticking and consequent distortion when the lock was released.
Certainty of delivering the cement dry, and the greater payload, decided the company to extend the use of this type of body. Current orders include one for four eightwheeled 15-ton vehicles, two based on A.E.C. and two on Albion chassis.
The cost of ordinary Portland cement ex-works in bulk at Chinnor is £3 12s. a ton and in bags £4 4s. 6d. a ton. The main delivery advantage of bulk loading is at the terminal points, where one man can discharge the cement in about 2 minutes, compared with 20 minutes to an hour when packaged cement is unloaded—even by two or three men.
Given suitable loading and unloading facilities, the transport of wheat in bulk is a valuable cost-saving measure to adopt, but in most instances return loads of bagged produce must be carried if maximum operational economy is to be achieved.