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Passing Comments

14th March 1958, Page 60
14th March 1958
Page 60
Page 61
Page 60, 14th March 1958 — Passing Comments
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Perkins on the M.LR.A. Track

T" great value of the Motor Industry Research Association test track at Lindley to motor manufacturers is indicated by the extensive use which is being made of it. Amongst those companies whose testers are to be seen constantly there are F. Perkins, Ltd. .Normally, between three and five of their vehicles are putting up a gross mileage of about 1,500 daily. Two of their drivers alone have operated for over 9,000 hours on the main test circuit, and this in a variety of models.

Commercial-vehicle drivers share the track with cars lapping at possibly 130 m.p.h., and only a yellow line divides the medium-speed vehicles from those running at over 70 m.p.h., which, of course, occupy the outer perimeter, where advantage can be taken of the banking.

These tests by Perkins are supplementary to extensive road trials carried out all over Britain, on the Continent and in Canada.

Modernizing a Swedish Factory

LARGE and interesting modifications, are being made at I-4 the Siidertalje works of Scania-Vabis—the biggest goods-vehicle and bus manufacturers in Sweden. They are breaking up their production line and creating what they

term a "town of specialized factories." The first completed stage is a new transmission factory. The next will be that for whole bus bodies, followed by the engine department.. All will become concentrated production units this year.

The transmission section is able to produce 6,000 units a year, and there are -facilities for'expansion. The administrative staff sit in a large sound-insulated glass cage in the centre of the main hall. In the basement of this is a warning device which rings loudly in the case of the carbondioxide content of the air exceeding 0.02 per cent.

Should the power supply fail, two six-cylindered oil engines will take over the work, whilst if the failure is of water, the main tank will fill at over 100 gall, per sec. from the factory's own well.

The " suds " system is most unusual. Normally, each machine has its own coolant oil or emulsion and tank. B26 Now these liquids circulate through pipes from three big tanks in the basement to the factory roof and down to the machine shop.

Swarf is collected by mechanical conveyors in the centre of the machine shop and travels to a crushing machine. This has resulted in multiplying nearly five times the revenue from scrap..

Machining with a Spark

WHEN a quick succession of sparks is employed to cut " a metal the hardness of the material does not affect the cutting speed, and spark machining is being increasingly employed for producing dies and other parts. In some cases the steel is so hard that the only alternative method would be grinding.

According to Wickman, Ltd., Coventry, who manufacture Erodomatic spark machines, the -process is also advantageous in the production of complicated parts of soft material, including aluminium, by virtue of the multiple operations that can be performed at the same time, and the dimensional accuracy of the method.

The electrode of the machine, which replaces the cutting tool, may comprise a _large numberof elements and an equal number of perforations can be made in the part in one operation. If electrode Wear could be substantially reduced, the scope of spark machining would be virtually limitless.

Tribulations of the Conductress

MANY women have found that working as a conductress is quite a congenial occupation and one that is better paid than a large number of other jobs available to them. It must be said that most are well liked by the travelling public, even if some of the more-austere elderly men may object to being addressed as " dear " or

Conductresses are usually courteous, often more so than the men, and are particularly solicitous as to the comfort and safety of the elderly. Usually, also they get on well with their drivers.

Sometimes they have their troubles with passengers and

one mentioned recently that a man refused to accept his change because, he alleged, the conductress had dirty hands, so she put the money on the seat beside him. Other people frequently query the amount of a fare and will not be satisfied until they are shown by the fare board that it is correct.

As regards the first complaint, it is difficult for people handling money constantly, and holding on to rails and other parts of a bus to keep their hands clean for long, even if they are washed at the termini, which is not always possible. • In dealing with unruly passengers women have a way with them and they seldom have trouble in this respect.

Resistance Welding for. Wire Frames

\X/IRE frames or other structures are found useful in constructing bOdies of certain types. They lend themselves to electrical resistance welding at the crossing points of the wires, the shape of these localizing the heating. Pressure is used to force the wires together until effective joints have been obtained. Such welding requires no additional metal and no arc or flame, and the result can be even stronger than the parent metal.

Bearings Lubricated by Ga.5

GAS as a lubricant might appear to be something from the realms of fancy, but in certain cases bearings designed for this can be employed. While in motion the mating surfaces are separated by gas films, so that metal-tometal contact is eliminated and unlimited life is afforded because abrasive particles do not form through wear of the metals.

Such bearings have amazingly low friction coefficients, • even through extreme ranges of speed and temperature. The gas viscosity is said to increase with heat, thereby raising he load capacity. The balancing of rotors on gas bearings canbe brought to a much finer degree than when employing even the most carefully constructed ballbearings, which, at particularly high speeds, may cause slight vibration. The power consumption on high-speed machines using low-viscosity gases is much below that obtaining with a bearing employing oil, whilst much normal equipment such as filters, seals and pumps can be avoided. Gas " lubricated " bearings are hardly likely to be used for ordinary engines, although they might possibly prove of-value in connection with auxiliaries such as blowers.

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