THE MOTORIST

Northern Advocate, 20 July 1935, Page 7

THE MOTORIST

SUBSTITUTE FOR PETROL. AUSTRIAN' INVENTOR’S CLAIM. “Synthetic petrol” by distillation from raw products and waste materials existent in any country in the world is the clhim of an Austrian inventor, Baron Alfred Coreth. The estimated cost of production is from 20 to 25 per cent, lower than that of petrol and it is further asserted that the fuel can be made up from any one of twelve different formulae, with no special refinery or distillation plant required'. .The secret of its composition lies not so much in the* ingredients as in the use of a special catalytic the formula for which has been entrusted to the keeping of solicitors in all the important countries of the world as a precautionary measure.

The basis of the new fuel , is raw alcohol, obtainable from wood or potatoes. The fuel contains 40 per cent. c?f this, 10 or 20 per cent, of water,' the waste from distillation of brown coal and certain other ingradients selected from those available in the country of manufacture. The fuel is so blended that it can be used in place of petrol without any alteration to the carburettor, or making- any other adjustments. Complete combustion is claimed, with practically no carbonisation. - /

An important point is that in its free state it does not burst into flame. It will ignite, but burns quietly with a weak blue flame. On this account it is considered that it has great merit for use in aircraft. Tests- have been carried out in Austria by various manufacturing firms and official organisations, and the reports substantiate the ■ claims made. The new fuel has been awarded a gold medal ancjt the Gold Cup of the Austrian Ministry of Commerce.

FILTERING OIL. SMALL OUTFITS FOR CARS. I A British company is announced to have devised a small cheap filter which seems likely to bring oil filtration within the range of the individual motorist. Larger filters made by the company are widely used by Diesel engine manufacturers, by big transport companies, and by the A* Ministry, and have been found to recover about 95 per cent, of the original oil in a. completely reconditioned state. The principle of the filter is that dirty oil is driven by compressed air through the walls of a cylinder composed of thin paper discs packed tightly together. The impurities remain on the outside of. the cylinder, while the clean oil passes between the discs and escapes down the hollow centre of the cylinder. This form of filtration ic much slower than the centrifugal process, but it is claimed by the manufacturers that it purifies the oil far more efficiently. When the impurities have formed a cake on the outside of the cone, the direction of the compressed air is reversed and the cake is blown off. It remains to be seen how far the new and smaller filter can be used to reduce the individual motorist’s oil bill. Its operation is so slow that it will take him a day to filter the contents of his sump. On the other hand, the filter can do its work while the engine is running, and if, therefore, it can be fitted on the car near the engine, the oil can be filtered, without inconvenience to the motorist. This seems to be a matter for experiment by drivers or manufacturers. The owner of a small fleet of vans, on the other hand, should be ; able immediately to start reducing his oil costs, and the small-garage owner will be able ■ to recover good oil from the filthy accumulations' that he empties out of his customers’ sumps. Moreover, the- spread of the practice of oil filtration should prolong the lives of engines. TRAFFIC EXPERIMENT. Some experiments have been made by Scotland Yard in warning pedestrians and motorists as they go along. A police car equipped with a loud speaker between the headlamps and a microphone into which the constable could speak,, has patrolled some of the roads in the west of London. Speech is amplified considerably, and in one instance the police called out to a driver ahead that he was 1 “on the crown of the road, there is plenty of room to the left.” In spite of the traffic noise this booming voice was heard by the offending driver, who swerved to the near side. On another occasion pedestrians who were attempting to cross the road against traffic lights were warned.

range of vision

PRECAUTIONS NELECTED

“It is necessary once more to draw the attention of motorists to the great risks which they incur to themselves and others by failing to provide themselves with the utmost range of visibility, particularly at this time of the year,” states the latest safety first message of the Automobile Association (Canterbury). “At this time of the year, with, its varying weather, driving dangers are increased and redoubled care is called for to meet the position. A proper lookout is an essential of safe driving, and no matter how vigilant a driver may be he cannot see beyond his range of vision. If drivers allow windscreen and side and back windows to become frosted over by the effect of interior heat, or obscured by raindrops through an ,inefflcient windscreen wiper, then the range of vision is restricted to a dangerous degree. Quite obviously many drivers place their own comfort before duty as drivers. Few motorists study the simple question 'of the proper ventilation of their cars. An easy adjustment of window opening will negative the effect of frosted

glass, and ensure a clear view in front, behind, and to left and right. ' “In the busy city streets in the murk of early evening cyclists and pedestrians run a serious risk in traffic, and it is the duty of the motorist to minimise that risk to the utmost. Some drivers in their zest for comfort and protection from the weather keep the windows tightly closed and think it unnecessary to give hand signals of intended change of direction. Others think of giving signals at the last moment and then realise that the window is closed oh their driving side. Such neglect or forgetfulness is entirely inexcusable and may be the cause of a serious accident. If all motorists place their own safety and that of others before the comfort and unhealthiness of closed windows the roads will be safer than th£y are for all concerned.” CRANKLESS ENGINE. / UNORTHODOX DESIGN. An internal, combustion engine of most unorthodox design is, being in-troduced-to the New Zealand market. It is a marine oil efftine of 140 h.p. The principle upon which it, works cannot but * fail to interest all who have pondered the faults of the conventional motor such as is fitted to all cars. The new engine is of the opposed piston Two-stroke cycle type. Thus far it is not unusual. The novel feature is that it is crankless. A horizontal, shaft runs through the engine and bears at one end a flywheel fitted obliquely so that it wobbles as the shaft rotates. The cylinders are parallel with the shaft and in line with the periphery of the flywheel. Instead of the pistons having connecting rods, they have sliding bearings which engage on the edge of the flywheel, so that the pistons are driven up and down as it turns. The pistpns and everything attached to ‘ them move only in the one line. There is a cylinder at either side of the flywheel, so that one. moves forward when the other moves backward (shaft and cylinders are all horizontal). At the other end of the shaft is a similar set of parts, arranged so that the pistons, which run in the same cylinders as the ones first described, travel to each other and away from each other at the same time—an old scheme in diesel engines. Ah extension of the shaft carries the valves, and compressors also are simply arranged.

The engine has no more parts than usual in a two-stroke engine. The weak point would appear to be the sliding bearings by which the power is communicated from the pistons to the flywheels and the shaft, but the makers state that a well-known patent device has been utilised there. It is claimed that the engine “starts so softly you scarcely know it is running,” has 25 per cent, less internal friction than the crankshaft type, and, being a horizontal engine, can be installed in a shallower space.

The motor car does not become a complete mechanism until the driver is back of the wheel (says a General Motors engineer). The steering apparatus doesn’t end at the steering more than does a good braking system end with the foot pedal or the hand lever— bones, muscles, sinews,'nerves, human temperaments, instincts and habits must all be taken into account by the true engineer.

! PRAISE FOR MOTOR CYCLISTS,

MECHANICAL INTELLIGENCE. A tribute to motor cyclists has been paid recently by a well-known plug manufacturer. Mr Lodge considers that the average motor cyclist has a remarkable degree of mechanical intelligence. Further, he says that the requirements of racing motor cyclists have been responsible for the development of ultra-high heat-resisting sparking plugs. “Even the aero engine of today does not demand so much from its plugs as the racing motor cycle,” he stages. “Motor cycle races—and the T.T. in particular—have taught manufacturers more about ‘hot' plugs than might otherwise have been learned in a decade.” It is refreshing for the motor cyclist—who usually gets more kicks than ha’pence—to receive tribute from so high an authority. According to the Archdeacon of Auckland (whose knowledge oP the subject is open to criticism) the motor cyclist is a danger to the community; but according to Mr Lodge (who knows what he is talking about) he is at least intelligent. That’s something to be thankful for, anyway!

REMARKABLE MACHINE

built for speed. A giant, high-speed machine, of which only two other examples exist in the country, has just been installed in a car factory at Birmingham. Costing £3OOO, its sole function is 1o produce differential gear wheels, but it does this with a speed and accuracy that justify its expense. By its use two processes of work, normally undertaken by two separate units, are carried cut with one process only, and the finished product is in every way more satisfactory than the best workmanship of old-time methods. This giant mechanical craftsman, which is known as a Gleason No. 9 Completer, produces 70 gear wheels in an hour, turned from the rough to a finished state of micro- j scopical accuracy. In spite of its great cost it effects a marked economy on previous methods and the greater accuracy it provides is definitely an added safeguard against mechanical breakdown. Its adoption is significant of British thoroughness and Is'iff keeping with, the country’s tradition of trustworthy craftsmanship.