Oilers Save Money in Refuse Collection
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Mr. Cyril Fox Outlines Desirable Features of Refuse Collector : Aluminium More Resistant Than Steel to Corrosion : Research Council Needed to Investigate Science of Refuse Collection and Disposal THE economy of the.oil engine and the possibility of producing a standardized type of refusecollection vehicle that might be accepted by the majority of municipal undertakings, formed two important aspects of the paper which Mr. Cyril Fox, M.I.Mech.E., F.Inst.P.C., cleansing and baths superintendent, Sheffield, read last Friday. to the fifth International Conference on Public Cleansing, at Edinburgh.
Comparing the respective fuel costs of patrol and oil engines in 12 municipalities, Mr. Fox's figures showed that the oil engine saved £2 7s. 8d. over 100 miles of running and £476 13s. 4d. over 20,000 miles of operation, with commensurate savings for intermediate mileages.
The oil engine was to be preferred, not only in fuel costs. It was more reliable, longer intervals between overhauls were possible and it had a longer life. Oil-engined gully and cesspool cmpticrs, which had relatively long periods of pumping, were types which would prove economical.
A Specialized Unit
" Has not the time come," asked Mr. Fox, "when we should regard a cleansing vehicle as a specialized local collection unit specifically designed from the first nut and bolt for its particular purpose? "
Referring to the question of adopting a standardized type of vehicle, Mr. Fox said that the average Briton was such an individualist that, although a neighbouring borough might have a type that would do his job equally well, he would select something different.
Outlining the principal design features of a cleansing vehicle, Mr. Fox said that it must be simple, reliable and durable, the parts should be readily accessible, it should be efficient in operation, be economical and have a low loading line. The price should be reasonable.
The frame of such a vehicle should be strong enough to take tipping stresses, but should be reasonably flexible in torsion, so that the twisting effects were distributed as uniformly as possible over the whole length. The frame should be of all-bolted construction, an essential being the use of fitted bolts. To enable the vehicle to negotiate narrow streets, it should have the smallest possible turning radius.
A clutch of large diameter with a low facing pressure was desirable. Not only would this reduce driver fatigue, but ventilation of the clutch assembly would be improved.
"Can we look forward to hydraulic clutch control? " asked Mr. Fox.
To deal with the numerous starts and gear changes, first and second gears should be wider than those used in a normal box, and tooth pressure should be lower. The constant-mesh gearbox was ideal, because engagement was by sliding dogs.
Servo Brakes
Servo hydraulic brakes would probably be in the specification of the ideal vehicle, and the hydraulic system would preferably incorporate a tandem master cylinder for safety. If the vehicle had forward control, the cab should be removable.
The primary consideration was the convenience and assistance of the man with the bin. A functionally designed vehicle reduced fatigue and affected appreciably the incidence of accidents and sickness of the loaders.
Direct compression of the load was a simple, practicable way of increasing load capacity. The angle of the compression plate in relation to the floor was important, more compact loads being possible when the slope was upwards.
The ideal to be aimed at in binlifting mechanism included the following features: The body structure should be relieved of all stresses; the overall height of the vehicle should not be increased when the gear was in action; front or full-width rear dustless loading should be provided for; any size of standard bin should be acceptable; there should be no complicated mechanism to lock the bin to the lifting gear, and normal loading without the bin-lifting gear should be possible.
Aluminium Less Corroded
Mr. Fox referred to tests made on behalf of the Eagle Engineering Co., Ltd., to determine the comparative effects of the action of domestic refuse upon aluminium alloy and sheet steel. These tests proved that the corrosive effects upon the light alloy were much less than on the steel.
The electric vehicle, said the speaker, won hands down for short-distance work, but was at a disadvantage when it had to run off the collection round to discharge its load. The fact had to be accepted that no one vehicle could be ideal for collection and disposal.
-In methods of discharge there was a choice between tipping and horizontal ejection and neither interfered with accessibility to the chassis.
Rear mechanical loading had certain disadvantages, including the need for elevating or partially removing the tailboard before discharging the loan. Moreover, to give a useful loading height and maximum hopper capacity below the loading line, ground clearance at the rear had to be sacrificed.
Considering the obvious alternative— the front loader--Mr. Fox introduced the underfloor oil-engined chassis layout, in which there was a completely free area for the body. The body on the vehicle he cited had an effective front-loading bay 4 ft. 6 in. wide. This particular chassis layout, said Mr. Fox, was ideally suited tor the reception of push-up or loader-plate bodies, rear-tip loaders, barrier loaders and bin-lifting loaders.
Mr. Fox concluded his paper by adv °eating the immediate establishment of a research council of technicians and designers drawn from the appropriate Ministries, vehicle makers and members of the Institute of Public Cleansing.
Cleansing officers from Central Europe would agree with practically all the points Mr. Fox had put forward said Dipl. log. Ft. Kojetinsky of Vienna. Differences of opinion arose largely from custom and climatic variations. In Vienna, dust-free transport was aided by employing standard containers, paid for out of the rates, which had tightfitting lids so that none of the contents could be lost while being carried to the vehicle.
Taxation Decisive As had been pointed out by Mr. I. W. Partridge (The Commercial Motor last week), the governing factor on the question of petrol versus oil engine was relative taxation. As the oiler had the advantage in Austria, it was desirable to convert vehicles from petrol.
Operating conditions varied even within one municipal area and in view of that fact, Mr. Kojetinsky said he could not understand how a standardized vehicle could fulfil all requirements. Such a fixed type would inevitably be accompanied by a risk of placing a monopoly in the hands of a few manufacturers.
In Vienna, the cleansing service might have to send out over 200 vehicles in one night to deal with snow and ice. Central Europe frequently encountered such conditions and it would not pay to have a standard design for this work. Road traffic was continuously increasing and in the future they would need to pay still greater attention to the matter of street cleansing.
Mr. N. Ge Wilson, conference president, said that Mr. Fox's list of desirable features in chassis design was first-class and the paper was one to which cleansing officers would often wish to refer in days to come.