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U.S. Ford Turbine-engined Artic
Page 64
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MEWS was released on Wednesday by
/1 the Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, U.S.A., of an experimental Ford tractive unit powered by a 300-h.p. gas-turbine engine, which has been undergoing tests for some time. U.S. Ford has been working on gas turbines since 1952, and in March announced details of a 600-h.p. unit which •had been developed for military applications. This 705 model is in many respects similar to the 704 unit which powers the experimental articulated outfit and is a triple-shaft design.
Incorporating what might be called a supercharger, the 704 engine is claimed to have twice the power output per cu. ft. of air flowing through it than does a con ventional gas turbine, as a result of which it is said to be 20 per cent smaller and lighter than other turbines with the same power rating. The size advantage gives subsidiary advantages: for instance, the smaller gas generator gives faster starting and lower fuel consumption at idling speeds, whilst the smaller compressor and turbine rotors allow better engine acceleration and an overall quicker response to the controls. Another important advantage of the Ford design is its economy under part-load conditions.
The unit is installed in a standard Cseries tilt-cab chassis, its compactness having simplified the installation. Beyond the fact that the tractive unit is operating with a laden 40-ft. semi-trailer, no details are given as to the type of testing which has been applied to the unit. Fords state, however, that their test engineers report the vehicle to be smooth, quiet and fast in operation, whilst, because the controls are similar to those in a con )330 ventional vehicle, no new driving skills are required. So far as noise is concerned, the Ford testers have reported that the noise level in the cab is lower than in many conventional heavy-duty vehicles.
The low weight of the 704 gas turbine is particularly important: the unit is said to weigh only about 25 per cent as much as reciprocating engines on a b.h.p./lb. basis, whilst the good low-speed torque allows a smaller, simpler transmission to be used. The absence of a liquid cooling system is a big advantage also, whilst the engine can run on a variety of different fuels with only minor adjustment of the controls.