Improved Coach Heating System
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ADESIGN for a heating system for buses and coaches comes in patent No. 730,723, from WeathersMelds, Ltd., 48 Moor Street, Birmingham. In this scheme, although the source of heat is the cooling water of the engine, no separate radiator is required for the air heating.
The drawing shows a cross-section of a heating duct which is built into the roof of the vehicle. The hot water from the engine is pumped through a gilled tube (1) which runs through the duct (2).
• The duct is supplied with fresh air under fan pressure and the heat is picked up from the gilled tube as the air traverses the duct. Delivery outlets in the form of slots are provided in the base of the duct for distribution of the warmed air.
In a vehicle with a closed roof, a single central duct would be used, but a sun roof would necessitate a pair of ducts under the luggage rack.
A HYDRAULIC BRAKE WITH
EXTERNAL CYLINDERS WITH a hydraulic brake it is VV possible for the actuating cylinder to become overheated during a prolonged period of use, but patent No. 731,574 shows a scheme in which the hydraulic cylinders are located outside the brake so that ,they. are adequately air-cooled.. The patentee is Girling, Ltd., Kings Road, Tyseley, Birmingham, 11.
In the drawing 1 is. the drum, 2 a shoe and 3 the external hydraulic cylinder, a pair of which is provided, one to each shoe. The hydraulic piston moves horizontally and the motion is transmitted to the shoe by a bellcrank (4). This is pivoted at point 5 and engages the shoe on a projecting shoulder (6).
In another form, opposed shoes partly embrace a drum or ring.
BRAKE SHOES WITHOUT PULL-OFF SPRINGS
rROM H. Butler and Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd., 1 Albany Street, London, N.W.1, comes patent No. 731,711, which deals with improvements in hydraulic braking systems. The scheme shows a brake in which no springs are used in the retraction of the shoes; instead, a slight negative pressure is maintained in the fluid system.
All that is necessary is to mount a one-way valve in the reservoir. This is conveniently placed in the filler cap, and this is shown in the drawing. The valve consists of a spring-loaded disc (1) which seats in a bore in the cap. Air can enter via port 2 only when the subatmospheric pressure in the system is high enough to overcome the loading on the spring.
The low pressure is originally created during the air-bleeding process, and remains there all the time, so that after the brakes have been used, a slight suckback action is present on the pistons. It is only when the brake facings wear and more liquid is taken from the reservoir, that air can enter via the one-way valve.
1338 A NEW METHOD OF BUILDING . VEHICLE ROOFS
A ROOF for a vehicle, built separately r-v from the body and attached as a whole, forms the subject of patent No. 732,191, from T. Hunter, 7 Osborne Road, Brimsdown, Enfield. Middlesex. The use of plastics mouldings and parts made in resinated glass fibre is mentioned as a possibility.
The drawing shows an inside view of a corner and illustrates the main features. The cant rail extends for the whole length of the vehicle and consists of an extruded light-alloy section. The shape includes an L-sectioned part (1) at the top and a U-sectioned portion (2) at the bottom; from the latter extends a drip-moulding (3).
At the corners, the cant rails are mitred together as shown at 4 but the lower corners, being spaced apart, require special corner-pieces (5).
The corner pillars of the body are made of extruded section, but have portions cut away so as to leave the shape shown at 6 to fit into the roof. As an alternative to bolting and riveting, bonded synthetic resin may be used, and any or 'all of the structural units may be in plastics or reinforced glass fibre.
AN ALUMINIUM RADIATOR
IN spite of many claims, aluminium is
still regarded as an . unsolderable metal from a production standPoint, and it is doubtless this fact that has militated against the obvious advantages of its use for radiators. A scheme for joining it, and thus enabling radiators to be made from it, comes in patent No. 731,431, from Ustav pro Vyzkurn Motorovych Vozidel, Praha VIII, Czechoslovakia.
The drawing is a scrap view of a part of the header tank and its tubes. The tubes are finned as at' 1 and are of flattened outline, the bore shown being only a fraction of the width at rightangles. Slots are punched in the header, the metal being carried down as shown at 2 to form a boss.
Space 3 over the tubes is filled with silicone rubber, silicone resin or nylon, and heat is applied, plus pressure from plate 4. After the filling has hardened, the tubes are swaged out over the plate as shown at 5.
PLASTICS CARBURETTER FLOAT
INSTEAD of using thin metal for a I carburetter float, patent No. 732,835 suggests that they be made in phenolic resin. Moulded in two pieces, the joint is made by cement. Internal stiffening ribs can be moulded in and, if necessary, the needle-valve, too, can be inserted during moulding. The patentee is Intermit, Ltd., 37 Bradford Street, Birmingham, 5. As a preliminary. I should admit that the inquiries to which I refer were not, strictly speaking, concerned with the storage of furniture, but with the warehousing of goods carried by hauliers and required to be stored for a time between periods of transhipment. The principles of operation and costing, however, are the same, and the interested haulier will be able to judge for himself how far the details apply to his particular project and sort them out accordingly. Chapter 8 in this book commences by stating the primary essentials By way of. doing so, the writer takes pains to point out that there is a mistaken idea abroad that warehousing is, as it were, "money for jam." He suggests that if careful calculation were made of the revenue arising from a particulardepository and of all the expenses attaching to the same building—rates, taxes, lighting, rent, cleaning, men's wages, etc—the actual amount of profit thus shown would not be so large as had been thought. Moreover, figures for one year may be whittled down. during the next through careless stowing. Overshadowing all the budgeting is the fear of claims
An important factor, one which is often overlooked, is the proportion of a warehouse floor which is wasted—that is, does not produce revenue—through passages and gangways. An average figure quoted is 29 per cent.
What are the essentials of the ideal warehouse? Briefly, it must be a building which will enable the customer's furniture tc be stored in such a manner as will reflect credit on the warehouseman. arid at the same time be appreciated . by the customer. That applies to warehousing whatever be . the class of merchandise. A warehouse is a house for wares; it should be clean and dry. Its layout should facilitate acZess to the goods. Maximum use of the available space should be one of the objects in drawing up the plans.
Quite rightly, the writer stresses the importance of keeping proper accounts and proceeds to deal with the question of costs and charges. Here are the items of cost: interest; depreciation of capital assets (which may include provision of a sinking fund); local and national taxation. These are overheads or standing charges. Next come the running costs, which are as follows: insurance, primarily against fire; wages of warehousemen, cleaners and upkeep staff; repairs, repainting and ordinary renewals; lighting, power, heating, water; claims for loss or damage; bad debts; accountants and architects; commissions and donations, pension fund; law charges; office expenses, stationery, telephone; salaries and fees; packing materials and warehouse stores; repairs and replacements.
Unsecured Capital
The matter of profit comes next. It should inclnde interest on any unsecured capital at, say, 4 per cent., and surplus after all reasonable contingency reservations at, say, 10 per cent. on annual rentals.
Reverting to the subject of the business of a furniture remover, the next thing to be dealt with is the legal side, and this is discussed with particular reference to the N.A.F.W.R. contraet. It is first laid down that every removal and storage is the subject matter of a contract whether it is in writing or not. It is pointed out that to constitute a contract the following are essential: (1), an offer on the one side; (2) an unconditional acceptance by the other side; (3) acceptance must be within the time stipulated, or within a reasonable time if no time is stipulated; (4) consideration.
Applying these essentials to the furniture removing and storage industry: (1) the estimate sent to the customer is an offer; (2 and 3) the return of the acceptance signed by the customer is the acceptance.. There is also an acceptance by the customer after receipt of the estimate if he writes or telephones requesting the contractor to carry out the work, but this latter course is not to be recommended and removers should insist on having their acceptances signed before doing the work.
There is no acceptance by the cusomer (although stating he accepts) if he qualifies the acceptance in any way as, for example, if he says he does not agree to any of the conditions or stipulates that the removal shall be by road whereas the estimate is for removal by rail. His purported acceptance is in law a refusal of the offer and a counter-offer by him which can be accepted or rejected as desired There will be acceptance of his terms if the work is started afterwards.
If the acceptaace is sent by post, the offer is accepted the moment the customer posts the acceptance, even if it is lost in the post.
Consideration (4). The stipulated price is the consideration, but if none is stated a reasonable price will be implied.
The furniture removal and storage contract is next dealt with. First the risks run by the operator who takes on a job without a written contract are enumerated. Briefly, as is stated, they can be, and are summarized as amounting to this: "The furniture remover and warehouseman is what the law calls a bailee of goods and being a carrier and storer for reward he is regarded as having represented himself to be a person of competence and skill for carrying out the work and as having a warehouse fit for the purpose of storing furniture. The failure to use such skill or to have a proper warehouse is a breach of contract and negligence."
Hauliers who have in mind entry into the furniture removing business should have that in mind.
Protected by Contract The positions of the operator with and without contract are then compared; there is after this no excuse for a remover who takes on a contract which is not fully designed for his protection, Such a form of contract, [Or example,as that which, over the years, has been drawn up by the Association. That form of contract is described and considered,.item by item, by the Association's legal adviser.
Under the chapter ".Other Legal Matters," the reader is first reminded that "ignorance of the law is no excuse." Such -interesting points as those selected and stated herein are mentioned. First, it is important for the operator to know for certain that the person who is dealing with the property in the care of the operator has the right to do so. The inner meaning of that is that the apparent owner may have obtained the whole of the goods or a part of them on hire purchase and may not have completed his payments: he may have borrowed money with the effects as security: he may be a bankrupt; he may have a judgement registered against him under which the court may distrain on his goods. These cases, having been thus briefly mentioned, are then dealt with at length.
The Traffic Acts, of primary importance to all users of road transport, are given full mention. Recognizing that a thorough study of these Acts would be a formidable task the writer confines himself to a strictly factual explanation of the various sections and the regulations made under them, without comment. The work is sufficiently up to date to have reference to special A licences and their importance
After the book deals with the Acts, the almost equally important subject. of -insurance has attention. The various risks which it is advisable to guard against by insurance are dealt with separately, such as fire, transit, motor, workmen's compensation, fidelity, goods in trust, pound breach, National Insurance and marine insurance. The writer goes on next to deal with the general aspects of insurance as a whole
The reader of this book is fully told of the importance of keeping books of accounts and, following that, is full advised as to how to do it. The subject is treated in its entirety, starting with the first principles, then a descrio. tion of the various books which are necessary.
Income tax is dealt with in One, chapter and limited liability companies in another. Advertising, a sometimes sore subject with the Association, is briefly considered and. of all things to appear in a book of this kind, "Diesel Engine Operation." Rip Van Winkle must have been about when that chapter was written. The book concludes w'th a glossary of trade terms, of which the most important might be said to be "Class 18" which, being interpreted, is the railway classification for " Household removals." The book is one I would recommend to all users of road transport Its outstanding merit is that it is all meat. It