SITEV '74
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imp an exhibition
Ear new ideas by Graham Montgomeric kN EXPERIMENTAL disc brake for Ise on trucks with a gvw of up to 16 onnes was one of the exhibits at the ;ITEV exhibition held in Geneva from Vlay 17 to 21. This was the first interlational exhibition of suppliers for the vehicle industry and took place in the Palais des Expositions.
British participation in Geneva was rather thin on the ground, but nevertheless the Bristol Street Group mounted a large display of their home products and several from the European side of the organization. Britax is a member company of the Bristol Street Group, of Bristol Street House, Coventry Road, Birmingham, and showed an interesting electric sensor-controlled seat belt system which could be used for light and medium vans.
This system is claimed to give complete freedom of movement in a similar manner to inertia reel belts but with a rather more sophisticated control system. The reels are locked when an electric circuit is broken as a result of: (a) Impact or violent deceleration (controlled by a mercury switch); (b) Loss of pressure on the seat cushion caused by rough roads or in extreme cases when the vehicle rolls over (actuated by a sensor pad in the seat); (c) Application of the vehicle brakes (actuated by the brake light switch). The total system is claimed to be completely fail-safe because if the power is interrupted for any reason the reels lock.
Piping in plastic for heavy truck airline systems was on show at the stand of the French company of Ato Chimie, of Tour Aquitaine, 92080 Paris La Defense. As well as examples of their Rilsan tubing applied to flexible air hose the company also exhibited a fixed air line system which it claims meets all the EEC standards with reduced costs and assembly time.
The French company of Societe Ardennaise d'Essieux, of Nouzonville, has taken the brave step of exhibiting a disc brake for use on commercial' vehicles. Although it is only intended for use in trucks with a maximum gross weight of 16 tonnes in its present form, the company is considering a larger version. The usual claims are made for the disc system — that it almost eliminates brake fade and the replacement cost and downtime are reduced when compared with drums, but in my opinion the total frictional area available on this system would be marginal. The disc itself is manufactured from grey cast iron and is 30mm (1.18in) in thickness. The S.A.E. company claims that it can avoid most of the usual delays in production as the group has its own foundries, forging plants and machinery shops and does not rely on outside suppliers. Also on display on this stand were several examples of heavy-duty axles designed for trailers and semitrailers.
Still on the subject of disc brakes, Messier (Rue du Moulin par le bas Champlan, 91160, Lonjumeau, France) had s.:veral examples on display, but these were intended for construction equipment and agricultural machinery. The easy checking of friction pad wear in such units is a great advantage to the construction industry where downtime is even more expensive than in road haulage. Several examples of Messier Gas Oil hydraulic suspension units were on show, including one with two nitrogen chambers which is designed to offer an equal spring rate for both laden and unladen conditions. These are intended for both road and off-road use. For dumper work, a dumper/ hydraulic jack unit is available which can be raised or lowered to various positions and locked.
A company which goes under the magnificent name of Societe d'Exploitation des brevets et fabrications Rene Pointout SaDE.RE.P. for short — exhibited a wide range of handbrake controls. These used several operating principles including toothed segment, double rack, drum winding or fluid assistance. One of the double-rack types was ratcheted on in the normal way but had pneumatic assistance for the release.
Seat for new Ford
The new Ford H series of heavy range trucks, when they begin production in Amsterdam, will be fitted with seats from the French firm of Sable Freres International, of Pantin, which exhibited an example. Adjustable in almost every conceivable direction, the seat also has an adjustable compensating device to allow for the weight of the driver. Several other seats were shown by this company, which has a subsidiary in Walsall, Staffs.