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r pac&msetting uru0 components

MOST NOTABLE and important rray of power units ever to appear on the omponent makers' stands at Earls Court rill be on view next week. And components other categories will include many that re indicative of progressive thinking at a igh level.

Competition between the diesel and gas arbine will undoubtedly be one of the major xhnical interests of the transport industry )1. many years to come. Visitors to the how this year will have the opportunity of ssessing the technical merits of applying harge-cooling to a turbocharged diesel (on le Perkins stand) and of employing an ifinitely variable power-transfer mechanism etween the gasifier and power turbine of a as turbine (on the General Motors stand).

If the claim is justified that a harge-cooler reduces the thermal loading of

turbocharged engine to that of a aturally aspirated unit and provides a leans of giving a 20 per cent increase in Input at very low cost, charge-cooling ould well increase the potential of the diesel ver a wide range of ratings. But the pplication of a power-transfer system to a as turbine is said to provide greatly nproved part-load economy which gives romise that it will overcome the utstanding deficiency of the turbine in ompetition with the diesel.

In contrast to this emphasis on major hnical innovation it is appropriate to ighlight the achievement of Gardner in roducing an eight-cylinder—the 8LXB —version of the 6LXB giving a more ivourable weight-to-power ratio than the mailer unit in defiance of the claims made y the makers of V8 engines that the weight

of the crankshaft of in-line versions would be prohibitive. Gardner has "got where it is" by attention to detail, and other diesels that will be exhibited in the components section show that the designers have also paid a great deal of attention to detail.

A coolant flow pattern that reduces thermal stresses to a minimum is a special feature of the Perkins turbocharged/chargecooled engine (the T6.354.3) and improved breathing has enabled the Rolls-Royce Eagle Mk II engines to be officially certified to BS AU141 standard without derating.

Cooling and breathing have obviously been the subject of profound thought on the part of the designers of the new Dorman V8 diesel (which will later be turbocharged and charge-cooled) and Cummins says that the company's latest V8-185 incorporates a number of detailed product improvements. And although no appropriate comment can be made on details of General Motors Detroit Diesel two-stroke diesel engines it is known that a number of improvements have recently been made that enhance the wearing properties of the units.

The T6.354,3 turbocharged /chargecooled diesel to be shown by the Perkins Engine Co. Ltd. (stand 392) develops 155 bhp at 2600 rpm (BS AUI41 rating) whereas the naturally aspirated 6.354 unit has an output of 120 bhp at the higher speed of 2800 rpm. Technical details of the charge-cooler and of the history and practice of charge-cooling will be available from the manufacturers of the Perkins cooler, Sera Radiators Ltd. (stand 237). It is notable that the air-to-air type of charge cooler fitted to the Perkins is said to give a gain of around 30deg in the cooling

provided compared with a water-to-air type of cooler in which jacket water is used to cool the air.

Many other features of the Perkins T6.354.3 are worthy of note, including oil-cooled pistons designed to give uniform cooling, and elimination of the tappet cover which enhances the stiffness of the structure and reduces the noise level of the engine. A turbocharged version without a chargecooler will be available later on.

An output of 280 bhp is produced by the Detroit Diesel GT30 gas turbine to be displayed by General Motors Ltd, Power and Industrial Division (stand 296). At full load the speed of gasifier turbine is 36,000 rpm while the output shaft speed is 3000 rpm. A 400 bhp model will later be available that is only 75Ib heavier than the GT30 which weighs 14251b.

An oil-cooled clutch is an essential feature of the power transfer unit of the GT30 and the unit can operate with the two turbines locked up or completely free. In addition to giving an estimated saving in fuel consumption of nearly 25 per cent at 50 per cent load, power transfer gives better overrun braking and power turbine overspeed protection.

Some older visitors to the Show will associate the name Dorman with diesel conversions of petrol-engined lorries before the last war and will be pleased to see that Dorman Diesels Ltd (stand 264) is displaying an entirely new V8 engine, the VJ8 which is an oversquare unit of conventional form but is designed with turbocharging and charge-cooling in mind and is one of a range of V engines with outputs up to 600 bhp. While the weight-to-power ratio of the 8.1V of 11.51b/bhp is -rather heavy," uprated versions of this and larger units should have a favourable weight-to-power ratio of around 7.41b /bhp. It is noteworthy that over the years Dorman has been producing diesels for industrial applications and has had a long experience of turbocharging and charge-cooling.

The Eagle 265 265-bhp turbocharged diesel from Rolls-Royce Ltd (stand 385) is of special interest because it is built to the Mk. II specification and is awaiting certification to the BS AU141 standard. Details of the standard applicable to turbocharged engines are non-conclusive and when the Eagle 265 is certified (as Rolls-Royce is confident it will be in the near future) the provisions of certification will be noted with interest by engine technicians generally.

The Eagle 265 is an uprated version of the Eagle 260 and develops its maximum power at the same speed of 2100 rpm, its torque rating being 746 lb ft at 1420 rpm. It will be displayed alongside the recently certified Eagle Mk II 220 diesel. This unit and the Eagle MK II 205 diesel were the first engines to be certified.

Improvements to the V8-185 mentioned by the maker, the Cummins Engine Co Ltd. (stand 390), include increased lubricant capacity and modified coolant flow between cylinder banks. An output of 185 bhp is produced at 3300 rpm and the engine has a capacity of 7.7 litres. It will be shown with a Cummins NH engine that is rated at 270 bhp. 310 bhp and 335 bhp in turbocharged form and at 230 bhp as a naturally aspirated unit and with an NHK-205 engine that develops 205 bhp at 2100 rpm.

The two-stroke diesel has been with us for a long time but only recently has the type gained favour in the UK for road vehicle applications. Detroit Diesel V-form two-stroke diesels are now being fitted as original equipment by a number of vehicle makers in this country, and V6 V8 and V12 units will be displayed on the General Motors stand covering a range of outputs of 195 bhp to 434 bhp. Advantages of the two-stroke diesel over a four-stroke equivalent normally include a higher power-to-weight ratio, and the two-stroke has the technical merit that the bearing caps are always lightly loaded because every downstroke of a piston is a power stroke, which enables heavier pistons to be used. All Detroit Diesel engines are produced in Hi-Economy form with a maximum speed of 1950 rpm. Higher-powered versions operate at 2100 rpm.

Known as the Type . 34, the new turbocharger to be displayed by Holset Engineering Co Ltd (stand 232) covers outputs in the 200/350 bhp range, is designed for a service life of 150,000 miles and, of special note, it is capable of rotor speeds in excess of 100,000 rpm, which are made possible by the use of a singly fully floating bearing. The company's new air-temperature-sensitive fan drive is also available in torque-limiting form.

Continuing on the theme of temperature control Kysor Industrial (GB) Ltd (stand 243) will be displaying automatic radiator shutters that are designed to control coolant temperature within 1.5 deg C of any predetermined temperature and may be air. vacuum or hydraulically operated. Kysor will also be exhibiting an air conditioner and heater for cabs and devices that give warning of excessive engine temperature and low oil pressure which shut down the engine if a condition becomes critical.

A cyclone pre-cleaner and a long-life element are features of a recently introduced heavy-duty air cleaner, the L95.402 that wit be displayed by G. E. Jones and Sons (Machine Parts) Ltd (stand 379). 01 contrasting interest, this company will alsc show a rubber strap, designed for securing tarpaulins, which is known as the snap strap and will be marketed in this country in the near future.

Reducing exhaust noise to an acceptable level is now all-important and visitors to the Show will have the opportunity of seeing o range of silencers from Chilicotts Ltd (stand 377) designed to cater for the maximum permitted noise levels that have beer proposed for heavier trucks. And thi! company will also be showing cylinderhead-gasket bore reinforcements designed tc improve sealing together with a range ol cylinder head gaskets.

A wide range of components to be shown by Wilmot Breeden Ltd (stand 298) will include the Trufflo engine cooling far which is rubber mounted and is available ir puller and pusher versions. The fans are wind-tunnel-tested, and of related interes1 the company offers a design and-development service that include! wind-tunnel calibration. An importani safety feature of the steering-and-ignitior locks on view is the necessity to depress the key before it can be turned to the steering-locked position.

A new Allison fully automatic torque converter gearbox that is to be shown or the General Motors stand is suitable fo outputs up to 200 bhp (for the time being ii is being produced in gasoline form only) ant the drive it provides is said to be completely shock proof. Known as the T.4.200 series, new four-speed synchromesh gearbox tha. will be displayed by the Turnel Manufacturing Co Ltd (stand 337) has torque capacity of 200 lb ft, weighs less thai 110lb and is only 16in. long. A vertical splil :tween the front cover and the main casing .ov ides easy access to the gear train and ar changing mechanism for overhaul.

The Fuller Roadranger RT606 six-speed rin-countershaft gearbox that will be splayed by Eaton Yale and Towne (UK) id (stand 324) is designed mainly for use 1 short-wheelbase tractive units. It is aimed that the transmission is 10in. Lorter and up to 1501b lighter than a inventional six-speed gearbox, while )proximately 60 per cent of the parts are terchangeable with Fuller Roadranger T610 gearbox parts. Optional equipment eludes a pto-mounted air-operated ansmission brake which can now be fitted all Roadranger twin-countershaft ansmissions.

A conical carrier is included in the new atures of the 18 series axles to be shown 1 Eaton Axles Ltd (stand 284). A xiplified and improved oiling system Lpplies lubricant to pinion and differential :wings and gears by the time the road heels have moved half a turn.

To be exhibited for the first time, a

low-loader axle that will he shown by Rubery Owen-Rockwell Ltd (stand 374) is designed for maximum-capacity semi-trailers, and Kirkstall Forge Engineering Ltd (stand 395) will display a rear driving axle of 29,000lb capacity for heavy-duty applications. Rubery Owen-Rockwell will also exhibit a new trailer twistlock, and a range of German twistlocks will be featured by Jost (GB) Ltd (stand 348). Single-shaft two-speed landing legs that provide positive gear engagement during a ratio change will be included in the new exhibits from Intertrock Ltd (stand 255).

The Rubery Owen-Rockwell TM 22.500 series axle has 10-stud metric fixing and is equipped with the company's new S-cam brakes together with oil-filled hubs and Stemco seals. It is claimed that the concern's twisdock does not require maintenance or greasing, and it weighs only 161b. A 22.500 series axle imported from a German associate, Vereinigte Achsenwerke, will be shown that is equipped with Dauerbremse brake drums, S-cam brakes and Trilex wheels with detachable rims, the

parts being interchangeable with the UK-manufactured axle. The largest axle to be shown is of 13-ton capacity.

Having spiral-bevel/planetary hub gears and an air-operated locking differential, the Kirkstafi Forge D85-13-2 rear driving axle is fitted with 154in. by 8m. air-operated S-cam brakes that have slack adjuster levers. A single driving axle and a tandem-drive bogie, to be displayed by the company, are part of the concern's new range of axles covering applications to rigids with gross weights of 10 tons up to tractor /trailer combinations weighing 46 tons. An automatic torque-proportioning differential is available as an alternative to the standard differential.

In addition to twistlocks, the Jost company will be exhibiting corner castings and air and electrical brake connections as well as fifth-wheel couplings, automatic couplings, ball-bearing turntables, kingpins, hubodometers and landing gears, the last named being two-speed units with capacities of 20/24 tons. A special feature of the. Intertruck Mk IV automatic two-speed

landing gear is a spring-loaded over-centre mechanism that forces the gears into engagement during a ratio change. Side-fitting reflectors and underfloor-fitting pendant reflectors, to be shown by the company, are designed to meet the requirements of new legislation for vehicles over 8m in length.

While improvement in detail rather than innovation is now the main interest in the design of braking systems, the advent of full hydraulic systems for medium-weight vehicles is a development of outstanding current interest. And the Full Power Hydraulics system by the Clayton Dewandre Co Ltd (stand 393) will command a lot of attention. It is supplied with fluid by an engine-driven duplex pump and offers a number of advantages over an air-pressure system, including reductions in unit size and weight, improved response time, simplicity of installation and the suitability of basic components for a wide range of vehicles.

"The future of braking" is the theme of a display that will be put on by the Automotive Products Co Ltd (stand 249) in conjunction with the Lockheed Hydraulic Brake Co Ltd (stand 240) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the company. The display illustrates the research facilities of the Group and includes a diagram of the "ultimate" braking system based on the latest techniques.

A load-conscious hydraulic apportioning valve that will be shown by Girling Ltd (stands 285/286) is specially designed for incorporation in the hydraulic braking systems of commercial vehicles. and Westinghouse Brake and Signal Co Ltd (stand 371) will be showing a simplified control system for spring brakes that includes a new form of hand control valve, a remote spring actuator and a large capacity on-vehicle compressor. And Feeny and Johnson Ltd (stand 358) will display three-line vacuum power-brake equipment fitted to a Land-Rover. An SGV exhaust brake to be exhibited by Exhaust Brake Sales and Service Ltd (stand 367) features a self-cleaning guillotine-type gate valve which is withdrawn completely from the discharge area when the brake is released.

An increasing demand for automatic brake slack adjusters is reported by the SAB Brake Regulator Co Ltd (stand 388) and the company will be showing an AAI adjuster on its stand.

Small and Parkes Ltd (stand 236) has announced that two new Don heavy-duty linings will be on view at the Show, and Brake Linings Ltd (stand 287) will be exhibiting a new Duron high-coefficient general-purpose moulded lining. The Don 262 is of moulded material with a coefficient of 0.42 and is said to be particularly useful in the case of older vehicles with brakes that would not satisfy the MoT regulations if linings were fitted having a lower coefficient. Developed for public service vehicles, the Don 263 has a medium coefficient of 0.39. The manufacturer points out that linings designed for heavy-duty work have an optimum wear life at temperatures above the normal for psv.

The Duron P.29 lining has bee approved by Girling and is suitable fc brake linings in segmental form. Intende for heavy commercial vehicles, Duro P.280 is a non-metallic material with coefficient of 0.38 /0.40 that is suitable fc use in half-length parallel or tapere segments.

On show for the first time, a range rolling diaphragm air springs will exhibited by Dunlop Ltd (stand 219) whic have been developed from Dunlop Pneuric springs. The outcome of investigations pneumatic nylon-reinforced air spring pneumatic actuators of a new type hal been developed by the company and wi also be on view. An actuator measures 8i by 3in. by 3in. and weighs 311b. TI Dunlop Maxamet Mk TIE electron] anti-jack-knifing system will be exhibitc that has, according to the makers, bee fitted to 12 different types of tractive unit.. hundred and fifty sets have been supplit under contract to the Ministry Technology.

To be shown by the North Derbyshil Engineering Co Ltd (stand 394), the Nos single-axle semi-trailer suspension now h. a modified rubber sandwich spring layout the type recently applied to the Nor( tandem-axle system, which improves ti distribution of brake-drag forces. Ti Loadmaster shock absorber by Jom Woodhead and Sons Ltd (stand 30 is designed to replace the rear shock absorbe of vehicles carrying heavy loads and cot prises a Woodhead shock-absorber having supplementary coil spring. And a ne range of shock-absorbers that w be displayed by AC-Delco Divisic of General Motors Ltd (stand 36 incorporate Genetron gas-filled cushion Details will be available on the Jon. Woodhead stand of the company's rot spring reconditioning service which is bast on 28 factories and depots and is backed t a work force of 560 and a fleet of collection and delivery lorries.

Providing for easy assembly of bc bodies at low cost the Alusuisse Snap-Lot system will be shown by Star Aluminiu Co Ltd (stand 328). Also to be exhibited ti M5267 system is particularly suitable f the construction of the bodies of vehicles t to 30cwt unladen weight and the M5200 f the construction of self-supportit semi-trailer bodies. In both cases the wa are reversible so that either the smooth ribbed side of the sections are on ti outside. Sections for Alusuisse M seri monocoque tipper bodies are also on view.

Of related interest, British Aluminium C Ltd (stand 359) will be exhibiting the Bat Pan-Al-Rib 2 ribbed cladding she designed for the lighter range of commerci vehicle vans which has a rib pitch 62.5mm and is supplied in lengths 2250mm, 2500mm and 2750mm with width of 1250mm. Specifically designed f refrigerated vehicles and ISO containers b suitable for other types of bodywork, a ne heavy-duty flooring system of ti low-profile type that is known as the Reef Deck will be displayed by Alec Manufacturing (GB) Ltd (stand 321) th

unprises flat-based extruded sections with pstanding ribbed T pieces. A patented ;Wing method provides a water and vapour ml between the sections that is proof ;ainst continuous flexing. Other Alcoa chibits will include RT rib panelling sheets ir van bodies, colour sheet for exterior adding and interior lining and the ompany's latest range of extruded luminium road transport sections.

Being supplied to many companies verseas in CKD form the Metsec ngle-deck bus body frames, to be shown y Metal Sections Ltd (stand 253), can asily be assembled by unskilled labour; and ther exhibits on this stand will include a 4etsec 1)-type frame skeleton on a Leyland dtantean chassis. A specialist builder of abs for commercial vehicles, Motor Panels Coventry) Ltd (stand 396) will have a all-width tilt-sleeper cab on display, and in completely different bodywork category Myles Magnet Works Ltd (stand 213) will how a working model of its Automount wap-body system. Movements of a iydraulically elevated lifting frame of this ystem are controlled by the driver from the ab by means of push buttons.

A wide variety of equipment for bulk reticles (much of it new) will be displayed iy the Drum Engineering Co Ltd (stand ;39) which includes the Europa 125 :ompressor, that provides completely Al-free air at pressures up to 35 psi, and the 2ontinental blower designed for discharging )owders and granular materials. A 3rumbeat exhauster will be on view which as recently been applied to larger types of waste recovery vehicle. The unit can create I vacuum for loading and a pressure for lischarge.

Many refrigerated vehicles at the Show will be seen fitted with a Petters refrigerating vstem and Petters Ltd (stand 247) will be exhibiting three of its latest refrigerating plants. These will include the TG20, which is a lightweight three-piece cooling unit and will be installed on a Ford Transit insulated delivery van, and a DM20D unit which is one of the company's range of M series self-contained refrigerating units and is driven by a Petter ABI single-cylinder diesel engine. The third unit will be a PT50 self-contained refrigeration-and-heating unit that is particularly suitable for tilt cabs and can be driven by a spark ignition engine fuelled by petrol or propane gas.

Improvements in battery life over the past 10 years have been a major contribution to overall reliability and batteries to be exhibited this year show that progress in design has been accelerated. The Gold Pacemaker batteries that will be displayed by Joseph Lucas (Electrical) Ltd (stand 229) were introduced 12 months ago and are now available "over the counter" in 7-, 9-, IIand 13-plate form. They are said to provide savings in size and weight of 8 per cent and 16 per cent respectively and to provide 25 per cent more power with an increase of 35 per cent more stored energy per lb than the D range.

A new compact range of batteries will be displayed by Oldham and Son Ltd (stand 289), which includes two models suitable for commercial vehicles together with a range of battery booster plugs and sockets. Electric Power Storage Ltd (stand 221) will be exhibiting two new 6V high-capacity replacement batteries designed specifically for the Ford D range of trucks and tippers. Crompton Parkinson Ltd (stand 365) will include on its stand a heavy-duty range of open-plate and armoured-plate batteries designed for starting diesel engines (and for lighting) as well as a range of heavy-duty traction batteries.

Intended for applications where lubrication is difficult or impossible, a new self-lubricating bearing will be shown by Vandervell Products Ltd (stand 351). It is produced from a backing strip of high-grade steel to which is bonded a layer of PFTE, lead and other additives in a matrix of thermosetting resin. No maintenance is required and it operates without slip stick.