. Plastic Tank for Shell Vehicle.
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ATANKER of Shell-Mex and B.P.. • Ltd., has been fitted with a 40gallon fuel bunker tank, a delivery pipe and a pair of mudguards made of glassreinforced polyester resin. The weight of these items has been halved by the use of this material.
The work was done as an experiment by the Shell-Mex concern and Semtex, Ltd., a Dunlop subsidiary. The behaviour of the new material is to be studied in service, particularly to find out the effects of exposure to oil fuel.
One of the mudguards of the vehicle was damaged soon after collection from the Semtcx works. It was repaired in about 20 minutes without the need for removal from the vehicle.
Scmtex hope to gain valuable data for possible future tank construction and the moulding of special shapes for commercial vehicles.
The Shell-Mcx company say that the experiment may make it possible to put bigger tankers with greater carrying capacity on the road, but before largescale production of the new plastic material can begin, its behaviour under actual operational conditions must be, studied. Tankers made of polyester are already being made in the United States. The material is not only light but strong and resistant to corrosion.