Components with all-round appeal
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THERE'S normally a -you name it, we've got it" atmosphere around the component makers stands at Earls Court and there are technical staff there who know what they are talking about and who frequently are better able to indicate trends as well as solutions to difficulties than the vehicle makers. Proprietary engines come into tHe components category at the Show, but this year a review of diesel engines is published as a separate feature next week. That leaves a gap, but it is one that can readily be filled despite the fact that advance information is lacking on a number of important developments.
Few visitors to the Show will have heard the name Friedmann and Maier Aktiengesellschaft of Austria, or associated the company with the production of diesel injection pumps. Could they break into the UK market as the suppliers of original equipment or of replacement components? Only time will tell, but the pump appears to be a good one. It will be shown on stand 259.
Of the conventional in-line type with separate plungers having helical grooves, the unit is available in 4-, fiend 8-cyl form and a number of advantages are claimed for it. For example it is said to provide exact metering by virtue of the non-alignment of the suction and spill ports. This eliminates the possibility of fuel and gas bubbles, escaping through the spill port, being re-aspirated into the pump element area. A separate helical groove is provided opposite the control helix which enables the hydraulic pressure exerted on the plunge,r radially to be balanced and side-thrust to be eliminated. There are many other claimed advantages.
Sound-proofing materials have often been criticised on the score that they absorb lubricating oil and so on, and thus increase the fire risk, Being displayed for the first time at Earls Court, lndustrialite will be exhibited by the maker, British Uralite Ltd, on stand 290; it is said to be resistant to anti-freeze, brake fluid, petrol and diesel oil, engine lubricant and automatic transmission fluid. Moreover it is unaffected by temperatures up to 230deg C and is resistant to attack by road salt. The material is an asphalt-bonded asbestos sheet of laminar construction and can be moulded to any shape.
No doubt many visitors will want to see for themselves how radiator shutters control coolant temperature on a demonstration rig that has been planned by Kysor Industrial (Great Britain) Ltd, for display on stand 234.
A Marshalltown recorder will show visually how water temperature is regulated by the system's shutterstat, and nearby another rig will be used to demonstrate the operation of the Kysor Tern-pressure engine-warning and shut-down system. Visitors will be able to simulate oil-pressure drop or coolant-temperature rise and watch the effect on warning lights mounted on a panel..
Obtaining the optimum engine/transmission match is an exercise in which the operator has often an important part to play if he is going to get the best out of his vehicle, and the gain from correct matching can be very substantial not only in running times but in fuel consumption and reliability also. Are eight ratios the optimum foi higher-powered diesels installed ir 32-ton tractive units? The new 08-75C eight-speed gearbox that will be
displayed by David Brown Goat Industries Ltd, on stand 204 has E
maximum torque capacity of 750 lb f and is designed for application tc Gardner 8LXB, Rolls-Royce 280 an Cummins 270 diesels. Of thi range-change type, the 08-750 ha: hardened and profile-ground gears, i range change from high to low beim made by an air-operated cylinder tha engages a clutch through synchromesh mechanism.
Also to be shown by David Brown an 06-600 six-speed gearbox has torque rating of 600 lb ft and is designed for use with Gardner 6LXB, Rolls-Royce 220 and Cummins 220 engines. At 6 bhp /ton this gearbox is suitable for 32-ton gross vehicles, whereas the 08-750 has a power-to-weight characteristic of 8.6 bhp /ton at 32-ton gross, 7.6 bhp/ton at 36 tons and 6.26 bhp /ton at 44 tons.
A wide range of transmissions with torques of 275 lb ft to 950 lb ft will be exhibited by Eaton Ltd, Transmission Division, on stand 320, all those with nine or more ratios being of the Fuller Roadranger twin-countershaft type.
Exhibiting for the first time at the Commercial Motor Show is LipeRollway International Ltd (stand 296). The exhibits include a working clutch, model 14-2-LP, complete with brake, set up to indicate the low pedal effort required, with a simple mechanical linkage, to release this unit.
Made under licence to the Dana Corporation of America, an anglespring clutch will be exhibited by the Turner Manufacturing Co Ltd (stand 315) in which the. pressure-plate springs are set at an angle of 45 deg to reduce pedal effort and thus eliminate the need for power assistance, units being available in singleand twin-plate form having a diameter of 14in. and in twin plate form with a diameter of 15.5in. Announced late last year, the Turner T5-200 five-speed synchromesh gearbox will also be on view, the gearbox being designed for vehicles up to 9 tons gross weight. It has a torque rating of 200 lb ft and incorporates a Turner torque lock that ensures that the hub and gear are positively locked when in gear.
To be exhibited for the first time, a TandemLock differential control for tandem drive axles is produced by R.F.F. Engineering (International) Co Ltd (stand 213) which gives automatic control of the inter-axle differential. It will be shown alongside examples of NoSpin and other types of Tandem-Lock differential control units, Air-O-Matic air-powered steering and clutch boosters, auxiliary transmissions and drive axles of the steering and rigid type. Power take-offs are increasingly a necessary part of the drive system, and of related interest the Martin Harper Co will be exhibiting an air-operated control for pto's on stand 184 that is directly mounted on the unit and is finger-tip actuated from the cab. A built-in safety device indicates whether the unit is positively engaged or is disengaged. It also ensures that the main air reservoir has sufficient pressure to operate the vehicle's braking system.
A full hydraulic braking system was first shown by the Clayton Devvandre Co Ltd at Earls Court two years ago, of the type fitted to the BLMC Terrier, and the company reports that the system has been highly successful in service. It will be featured at the conning Show on stand 342 together with a recently developed air-pressure system designed for application to three-axle vehicles intended for use with drawbar trailers and a system for 32-ton-gross tractive units. The tractor system complies with future European standards.
Spring brakes are fitted to the two rear axles of a three-axle tractor for direct application of wedge brakes, while the wedge brakes of the front axle are actuated by triple-diaphragm brake chambers. Air is supplied to both working diaphragms of the front actuators and to the diaphragms of the rear spring brakes, one axle being in the service circuit and one :in the secondary circuit. A dual concentric brake valve operates the service and secondary system simultaneously. A g-matic Mk II load-sensing valve system proportions the braking effort in accordance with axle load.
A new braking system applicable to light commercial vehicles, to be exhibted by Girling Ltd on stand 257, provides automatic adjustment of the front-wheel brakes in the case of a 13in. x 4in. version and automatic adjustment of all the brakes when a 13in. x Sin version is fitted. A safety device prevents overload of the adjusters, which incorporate a manual _override mechanism.
While the version of the Antilok anti-skid braking system designed for the drive axle of a tractive unit, to be shown by Automotive Products Co Ltd (stand 219) is a standard design, it is notable that the system will in the immediate future be directly available from the AP Parts and Service Division in Banbury for fitting to vehicles in service. The model in this case is of the full-air type; Antilok models being developed for multi-axle applications as original equipment and for air/hydraulic ' systems will be exhibited as display or demonstration units by Lockheed Hydraulic Brake Co Ltd on stand 220. All the systems are of the electronic type.
Included in a comprehensive range of brake linings and other friction materials to be displayed by Ferodo Ltd on stand 202, a new clutch facing is known as Ferodo 2124F and comprises a rigid moulded material that contains brass chippings and has a random fibre asbestos base which is claimed to have good wear and heat-resistance characteristics and to provide a smooth take-up. Ferodo report that recent orders for the company's AM high-friction brake linings include one from KlocknerHumboldt-Deutz.
However good the braking system of a vehicle may be, long descents can lead to fade and the cost of brake maintenance is high. A number of tests of auxiliary braking systems recently made by CM have demonstrated their value in reducing the amount of work done by the service brakes and have indicated the potential of the systems for reducing lining wear. To be shown by Exhaust Brake Sales and Service Ltd on stand 303, the SGV exhaust brake incorporates a self-cleaning gate valve comprising a guillotine form of slide which is withdrawn from the operating area when the brake is released. Each time it is used, a cross-flow of exhaust gas scours the carbon deposits in the valve body and this eliminates the necessity for periodic cleaning. A stainless-steel lightweight operating cylinder extends the life of the seals and obviates corrosion.
Norde rubber suspension system have gained an enviable reputation over the years, notably with regard to their roll resistance and maintenancefree operation. The new Norde widespread axle unit will be displayed by the maker, North Derbyshire Engineering Co Ltd, on stand 195, as well as standard singleand tandem-axle units. The company claims that the Norde suspension is the only solid-rubber type suitable for fitting to steering, driving and trailing axles. The main parts of different units are interchangeable.
A raise /lower device designed for swop-body applications to trucks or trailers with Air Ride air suspensions will be exhibited by Hands Noway Ltd on stand 301 as well as Air Ride running gear /suspension units and mechanical types. These will include an Air Ride lightweight drive-axle suspension kit for an axle giving a ground loading of 6.5 tons, a similar system for a ground load of 10 tons and trailer-axle air suspensions for loads of 7.5 tons and 10 tons. A Scale-O-Matic weighing device indicates the load of an axle equipped with Air Ride suspension by matching air pressure against ground load. This is indicated on a calibrated dial.
Davies Magnet Works Ltd, will be exhibiting the company's Automount swop-body system on stand 188 which is controlled by push buttons in the cab. A fifth-wheel coupling of new design is described in the accessories article in this issue.
A number of new products to be exhibited for the first time by Rubery Owen-Rockwell Ltd on stand 187 include an 11.5-ton trailer axle specifically designed for the European market. An M42 tandem-axle suspension will be shown designed for 19-ton bogies with an axle spread of 1518mm in addition to a new version of the M series suspension which has underslung springs and an axlecentre-to-underframe distance of less than 9in. A Power Gear air-hydraulic landing gear and a new German type-approved twistlock will also be displayed, the twistlock being of the screw-down adjustable type designed for applications to container-handling vehicles. Other exhibits on the stand will include a Ceschi steering axle equipped with Rubery Owen-Rockwell brakes and hubs and a German Dauerbremise braking system.
Complete vehicles will be displayed on some component makers' stands and these include a new tipping drawbar trailer produced by the York Trailer Co Ltd, Truck Equipment Division (stand 329), which is equipped with a York U-shaped tipping body of all-welded aluminium construction, has an unladen weight of about 3 tons and a gross trailer weight of 16 tons.
A new air-load-transfer/axle-lift system to be shown on this stand is fitted with air bellows that enable a load of 21 tons to be transferred to the drive axle and the trailing axle to be lifted clear of the road when the vehicle is unladen. Other exhibits will include a new auto-coupling dolly designed for application to semi-trailers and a new heavy-duty sliding coupler suitable for equipping 44-ton-gross outfits.
A new "Common Market" axle will be seen on the York Technical Services Ltd stand 196. The axle was developed to cater for the proposed EEC axle rating of 11 tonnes and has cast-steel wheels with six spokes that weigh no more than a five-spoked wheel. A Supaleaf lightweight trailer suspension with monoleaf springs and non-lubricated bushes will be on view as well as various axles.
New products to be exhibited by Jost (Great Britain) Ltd on stand 304 comprise a push /pull landing gear capable of lifting 20 tons and having a static load capacity of 35 tons, the second new component being a retractable twistlock designed for use with ISO corner castings. A cast-steel fifth wheel will be shown that has a gvw capability of up to 68 tons and is equipped with rubber cushions, a replaceable wearing ring and a double safety lock mechanism.
Included in the range of trailer axle components to be displayed by Intertruck Ltd on stand 194 is a drawbar trailer coupling that is claimed to have a number of advanced features, while VBG Produrter KB (stand 222) will be exhibiting the VBG 800 drawbar coupling which is now available with an electric sensing device that warns the driver in the cab if the angle between the drawbar and the trailer is excessive. To be shown publically for the first time a new VBG 180 fifth-wheel coupling is of cast steel and features a quickly interchangeable locking mechanism. A VBG security drawbar is equipped with a secondary attachment and with an in-cab warning device that indicates any fault in the assembly.