MIRA looking for business
Page 27
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
by Gibb Grace • The SMMT is withdrawing from its position of a major supporter of MIRA which in future is to be supported by direct subscription from its members. This policy has led MIRA to offer its comprehensive test facilities to whoever may be interested.
Extensive, well-equipped laboratories can deal with problems of safety, pollution, noise, vibration, instrumentation and aerodynamics. I watched a I-scale model of a 32-ton-gvw artic being tested in a wind tunnel and was impressed by how much could be learned from such a simple test. I was told that drag coefficients for such a vehicle had been measured which varied between 1.1 and 0.6. At 50 mph a coefficient of 1.1 was equivalent to 80 bhp
being used to overcome aerodynamic drag whereas the 0.6 figure represented only 45 bhp. The lower drag coefficient therefore leads to improved fuel consumption.
Another department is available to undertake comparative testing of foreign commercial vehicles. The vehicles will have to be bought especially for the tests, therefore the cost of such an exercise would be expensive. However, if several large operators together commissioned the study of trucks the cost to each should not be prohibitive. In many cases these programmes qualify for a grant from the Departrnent of Trade and Industry and thus could represent an economical form of research investment.