Developments with
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Steel-tube Seats
BECAUSE of certain advantages which the steel-tdbe seat frame has over the orthodox type of wood or metal Structure employed in passenger vehicles, attention was drawn, in our issue dated August 11th, th experiments that are being carried out on the Continent with particularly light forms of steel-tube seats.
It is interesting to note that Wycombe Motor Bodies, Ltd., BigIi Wycombe, Bucks, is alive to the possibilities of such seats, and has, during the past few months, been carrying out experiments. To obtain the benefit of actual service conditions, the company has equipped a bus completely with seats of this kind and, after some period of ordinary service, it appears that they are satisfactory. The frames can be made in a variety of shapes, but it would seem advisable for their design to permit of a certain degree of flexibility. It is in this direction that experiment is necessary to obtain the desirable measure of resiliency without any tendency to
weakness after considerable use. An advantage of some of the more resilient forms of construction is that, the back rest not being continued in a straight line to the floor level, more space is provided for the feet of passengers when sitting down or rising from their seats.
The design adopted by the Wycombe concern for its preliminary trials is rather satisfactory in this respect, for, as will be seen from the accompanying illustrations, the portion of the frame forming the back rest is not continued downwards, whilst any tendency to undue flexing under load is resisted by means of a reinforcing tube of smaller diameter, this being welded to the main frame.
In the examples shown the frames are carried on more or less standard pedestals, although it is, of course, possible to dispense with pedestals altogether.
It is questionable whether, even if the plain stretched canvas forms an adequately comfortable seat, the appearance of this kind of finish would be acceptable to the travelling public, particularly as passengers have collie to expect quite. luxurious interiors in ordinary service-type coaches. The Wycombe concern has effected a compromise by trimming the seat webbing with moquette and by employing leather for the covering of the hard-Wearing parts. The company is experimenting with other kinds of finish.
Nevertheless, the seats illustrated are worthy of favourable comment, and the advantages ,ef lightness, increased leg room, extra luggage space, simplicity of manufacture, long life, ease of maintenance and cleaning, .ease of attachment and adjustability, are quite apparent. We are told that, in the case of this particular kind of seat, a saving of 2i cwt. is effected in the weight of a 32-seater bus. In some cases no doubt more weight could be saved.