UTILIZING THE CRANKCASE GASES.
Page 32
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A Resume of Recently Published Patent Specifications.
TBE idea of drawing the gases which accumulate in the crankcase into the carburetter is not a new one. Certain difficulties, however have arisen in connection with the separation of the oil from the gases, which the present invention claims to have overcome. Stefano Gatta and Ambrogia Constantini, of Milan, in their patent No. 222,459, claim that a considerable saving in fuel can be effected if the inflammable gases
which leak past the piston can be col lected and mingled with the air supply to the carburetter.
A further claim is made that the air drawn thiough the crankcase is of a constant temperature ; also, that the passage of air through the crankcase tends to keep the oil contained in the case cooler, and, therefore, renders it more valuable as a lubricant The upper view shows the crankcase (1) ; a special oil separator (2) returns all oil, when separated, to the crankcase, the gases only being allowed to pass along the pipe (3) to the cpburetter (4). The lower view is a close-up section of the separator.
Self-adjusting Change.speed Gears.
somE time ago we described a very
striking invention patented by the Reece Transmission Co., of Boston, U.S.A., No. 225,735, in which an automatically variable gear is produced which will adapt itself to the conditions of any work the engine has to overcome.
The principle on which this gear works is the resistance set up by centrifugal force in planetary wheels, which gather up a heavy fluid and carry it towards the centre of the revolving system against centrifugal force. By this means resistance to the free Movement of planetary gears is set up, tuch resistance being regulated automatically by the speed at which the engine in revolving and the work it has to do. The present invention, specification Ni.' 221,853, is filed by the same company, so we may assume that further developments may be expected. We shall be anxious to hear more of this invention, as on the face it looks like being one of the nearest solutions of a very interesting problem—that of finding an automatic variable gear.
048
A Simple Form of Front-wheel Brake Which Varies the Force when Steering.
A SIMPLE front-wheel brake which
is variable in its action when steering round corners is described in specification No. 209,103, by J. Miesse. The object of the invention is to afford a means whereby the retarding effect of the front-wheel brakes can be varied when a straight course is departed from. Not only can both brakes be made to decrease their retarding power, but either inner or outer wheel can be made to increase or diminish its braking effect when at an angle. The upper view shows the brake of a front wheel, operated by' means of a flexible cord, the middle view is a front elevation, whilst the lower view is a plan of the arrangement.
Attached to the' top of the steering head is a bracket (A), which carries a guide pulley for the cord. This bracket is arranged so that it steers with the front wheel. The guide pulley is mounted on a pin which is held in a slot, so that its position fore and aft can be varied to give any desired degree of variablen of braking effect when turn ing corners. The lower view will show the result produced by setting this pulley in different positions along its slot, as indicated by dotted lines. When set forward, the act of steering in the direction of the arrow B would have the result of diminishing the braking effect, whilst, when turning in the direction of the arrow C, the opposite wheel would be relieved of its braking power. When the guide pulley is set to the rear end of its slot the effect produced would be exactly the reverse.
A Servo Brake Which Acts in
Both Directions. •
MANY new' servo brakes have been
recently patented, but the modern tendency seems to incline towards the production of a brake of this type which will act equally well when the vehicle is travelling either forward or backward. A. J. Rowledge, of Derby, in specification No. 230,603, shows a brake of this Class which is operated by a cone clutch driven by means of a 'worm and worm wheel from the propeller shaft. It is
a complicated arranOment, and would occupy more space to illustrate and describe than we have available for the purpose.
Reducing the Risk of Breakag6 in Springs.
WHAT is claimed to be a device for
reducing the risk of breakages in , leaf springs is described in specification No. 230,679, by W. Murdoch. The specification describes the lower (and in some cases the top) leaf of the spring as being made double the width of the bulk of the leaves, and tapering away at the ends until it is of the same width as
the main leaves. Roles are bored in the wide leaves for the usual bolts of the spring clip. The extra wide leaves are reduced in thickness as well as , width as they near the ends. Garter clips are suggested so as to hold the wider plates more securely to the body of the spring.
A New Form of Hoist for Repair Work.
SPECIFICATION No. 230,610, by H. Williams, describes a new form of Portable hoist for the purpose of raising motor vehicles while undergoing repairs. The arrangement is very simple, consisting of a framing of sufficient strength to maintain the weight of the vehicle for which it is intended to be used, which spans the frame, and is fitted with castors or suitable wheels • for moving about in the garage. A winding gear worked by a screw, which should be of the irreversible type, is provided with a drum, on which are coiled two steel cables, or chains, which pass over pulleys and lift simultaneously at opposite sides of the frame. This hoist could be equally useful in lifting out engines or gearboxes from a chassis. We have seen devices somewhat resembling this in actual operation. An advantage is that a light frame can be emploYed owing to the double support afforded.