Horne-made Petrol Measuring Tank.
Page 19
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
1828] '' G.B." (Westminster) writes:—" While recently carrying out some experiments to ascertain the rate of petrol consumption with various carburetters on a heavy motor vehicle, I found it necessary to have an accuratelygraduated petrol-measuring tank capable of clearly showing the difference in the rates of consumption over short-distance runs, so as to ascertain to what extent certain adjustments to the engines and carburetters influenced the amount of petrol consumed. Time did not permit the making of any special apparatus. T therefore ransacked a n ironmonger's shop for any suitable material from which I might construct such a tank, and I was successful in securing the following :—One 3 ft. length 3 in. iron stove pipe; two tin funnels; one empty calcium-carbide tin ; one wooden curtain stick ; and a length of rubber hose. I then proceeded to solder together the metal parts, and assembled the apparatus which is shown in the accompanying sketch.
" The stove pipe was first soldered along its folded seam in order to make it petrol tight, and I soldered one of the funnels to the lower end of this pipe; to the nozzle of this funnel the indiarubber tube was attached and connected to the carburetter. I. then soldered the lid of the empty carbide tin to the tin itself, so as to make it float, and a portion of the nozzle of the upper funnel was soldered to the lid, thus forming a socket, in which the curtain stick could be fixed. The float and the stick were then inserted into the tube, and the second tin funnel used as a lid and also as a guide for the upper end of the stick.
" My measuring tank then being complete, all that was required was to graduate the curtain stick in fluid ounces ; this was accomplished by filling up the tank one ounce at a time and marking the stick at the point where it passed through the upper funnel. With this home-made tank I found I could get readings as accurate as could be obtained with an expensive graduated-glass cylinder which I had previously used for a similar purpose.
" Whilst on this subject I may say that. users of petrolmotor vehicles would be astonished at the results they can obtain with an instrument of this description, as it gives them almost immediate indications of the effect on petrol consumption caused by any slight. alteration or adjustment that may he made either to the ignition or carburetter."