A DETACHABLE BLOCK RADIATOR.
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H.F. POSITION of the radiator on the
average commercial motor vehicle renders this important member of the cooling system more or less. vulnerable to damage when the vehicle is involved in a collision or accident.. The radiator is a very essential part of the cooling system of an internal-combustion engine, and interference with its normal functioning may readily impair the efficiency of the engine and resulted in inflated maintenance costs if the trouble be not rectified without delay. It is true that of recent years fenders and guards of various patterns have been brought into -use, but even these protective deviees only reduce the risk which every commercial vehicle with its radiator ahead of the engine has to face.
There are certain types of radiator on the market, notably those of sectional construction, which eliminate the need for the immediate replacement of the component so soon as a section of it becomes damaged, but the primary object of these types is to enable the vehicle to finish its journey or its day's work before the radiator, or, in some cases, only the damaged section, .is re placed. If a unit be only slightly damaged it can be repaired and kept in service until such times as replacement is considered desirable, but if the effective cooling area is much reduced through damage, then speedy replacement is essential.
The removal of a. damaged radiator, if it be of conventional design, is a somewhat tedious process, and involves the breaking of water joints and the taking down of the complete component.
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It s for these reasons that. we feel that many users, and possibly manufacturers as Well, will welcome the appearance of the W. and B. block radiator made by the W. and B.. Motor Radiator, Co., Ltd., Munaen Place, Hammersmith Road, London, W.14, in ,so far as its design renders unnecessary. the reinoval of the complete radiator when the central area needs to be replaced.
The general principle of the radiator can be gathered upon reference to the illustrations on this page, and its construction, it will be observed, is extremely simple The main cooling area, which may take the form of a honeycomb section or a nest of tubes, is made to be readily detachable from the radiator frame, for which purpose it is constructed with rectangular plates top and bots tom, these being so designed as not to impede the flow of water through the cooling unit. When this unit is assembled in the radiator frame, these plates butt up against others, which are added to the top and bottom tanks and which are hollow in the centre. These parts are securely fixed in position by studs in order to ensure a permanent water tight joint. The bottom face of the upper plate and the top face of the lower plate are so shaped that the central unit will fit accurately between them, being firmly secured by studs.
The side members of the main frame of the W. and B. radiator are rigidly secured at their lower ends, but the top of the radiator is held in position on the side -members by special bolts which permit,of certain freedom of movement. This type of construction enables the top tank to be slightly raised when the centre portion is being.. removed or replaced, and thus facilitates either of these operations.
The great feature of the W. and B. radiator is, as we have already said, that the -whole tube centre can be detached from the component without the need for disturbing water joints, thus saving time and the trouble of replacing water-hose connections, etc; One important transport concern of which we have 'knowledge have had a W. and B radiator in use on a Thorny. croft chassis for, a period of three months, during which time it has proved quite efficient, and has shown no signs of leaking.
The average time taken to remove and replace the centre block is about 25 minutes--s feature which in itself is a recommendation in so far as a user whose vehicle may have been concerned in an accident which has affected the functioning of the radiator can be certain that the machine will not be off the road for an unduly lengthy period.