Electric Wheels on 55-ton Carrier
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A PROTOTYPE iron-ore carrier fitted 1-3. with .10-ft.-diameter self-powered wheels has been demonstrated in the. U.S.A. The vehicle weighed 55 tons unladen and carried a 55-ton payload. The wheels, which each incorporate an electric motor and reduction gearing, are manufactured by the General Electric Company, Pennsylvania.
They are powered either by a dieselelectric generator mounted on the vehicle or, in semi-static installations, by a pickup from overhead wires. The wheels are completely self-contained, and the existing type develops 380 h.p. at the wheel rim, giving a total of 1,520 h.p. for a four-wheeled vehicle. The electric motors provide constant power throughout the vehicle's speed ra,nge.
For maximum pull in difficult condi
tions, an automatic control reduces the power input to any wheel which loses traction and increases the amount of current fed to those wheels still obtaining purchase, The wheel motors act as generators on the overrun to provide braking, their output under this condition being dissipated by resistors. It is claimed that a vehicle fitted with these wheels and having a top speed of 35 m.p.h. can stop from this velocity in three times its own length by this form of braking alone.
General Electric consider,. that the wheels could be applied to any crosscountry vehicle, and that the ease with which the units can be installed, because of the absence of transmission shafts and driven axles, simplifies the production of varied chassis for special purposes.