5-ton Hovertruck Projected
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DEVELOPMENT of a range of goodscarrying air-cushion craft, to be known as Hovertrucks, is being undertaken by Folland Aircraft, Ltd., a member of the Hawker Siddeley Group. At present, a small demonstration vehicle known as the GERM (Ground Effect Research Machine) is under construction and it should be completed in the near future. It will be followed by a vehicle which will carry a 5-ton payload.
It is stated that the 5-tonner should be almost as easy to drive as a normal lorry, whilst being no more difficult to maintain. It will be capable of operating over land or water.
A new system of control and propulsion should give it better manceuvrability, when hovering and at speed, than has been achieved so far with vehicles of this type.
At least five concerns in this country are now engaged in the production of aircushion-type vehicles, but only two, Folland and Britten-Norman,. Ltd., emphasize the over-land ability of the designs on which they are working. Saunders-Roe, Vickers-Armstrongs and William Denny and Bros. all appear to be concentrating on the over-water use of these machines, employing their ability for land travel merely to facilitate harbouring.
NOVEL EPICYCLIC GEARBOX THE RV 51 four-speed epicyclie gear1 box will be exhibited for the first time by Self-Changing Gears, Ltd., at the Commercial Motor Show. This airoperated unit, which is designed for heavy haulage vehicles and earth-moving equipment, is used in conjunction with an 18-in.-diameter Schneider-type torque converter.
The gearbox-torque converter combination is capable of transmitting 400 b.h.p. at up to 2,100 r.p.m., and provides continuous traction with barely , perceptible gear-changes. Standard, ratios are 3.83, 1.96, 1.00 and 0.719 to 1 forward with a 4.35 to 1 reverse ratio.
Three types of remote control mechanism are offered for the transmission. These are an automatic electrical system, and electro-pneumatic and solely pneumatic semi-automatic systems, NEW FODEN ENGINE
THE FED6/30 heavy-duty dumper to be shown by Fodens, Ltd., at the Commercial Motor Show (The Commercial Motor, July 22) will be powered by a new turbocharged Foden oil engine. This unit, of which few details are available, is presumably based on the Mark III 4.09-litre supercharged two-stroke unit.
The new engine, to be known as the Turbo Blown Mark IV, develops 210 b.h.p. whereas the Mark ITT produces 150 b.h.p. at 2,400 r.p.m. Thus the blown unit should have an attractive power-toweight ratio.
It is not scheduled to go into production until 1961.