The Automobile World.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17294, 18 October 1919, Page 6 (Supplement)

The Automobile World.

fl Science and Inventions. t

A MAQIO GROWER. . Professor Armand Gautier has ex- ' plained to the Academy of Sciences the results of his experiments in the effects 1 of the chemical fluorine on cultivation of < vegetables. In a field in the coil of which • fluorine had been mixed the wheat crop . was 13 per cent, above the average, oats t 12 per cent., carrots 17 per cent., and _ potatoes 58 per cent. The use of fluorine ' in the cultivation of the vine also gave • remarkable results. SAFE AEROPLANE LANDING. An ingenious device is being experimented with which will do away with a I jrreat deal of the danger encountered by aviators in making a landing, especially . at night. Jt consists of a small bulb at- ' inched to a wire hanging from the aero- ( plane. When the bulb touches the . pound an electric connection immediate- | iv switches on a small ' light* in front of I the pilot, who knows then that he is with- ( ir so many feet of the ground, and can ace accordingly, and so save his machine from disaster. | FIRES DUE TO WIRELESS WAVES At first thought it seems highly improb- j able that any fire could be ascribed to ' the effect of wireless waves, though it is I • conceivable that, granted certain very (Favourable conditions, the kind'.ing of a spark between adjacent metal parte might '■ have such effect. M. Le Roy, in a recent • issue of t the # Comptes Rendus, describes '■ experiments intended to test this point. ' He had met with several cases in which fires did appear to have been caused by • wireless waves. Accordingly, he con- ' structed an " inflammable resonator." by the aid of which he dM succeed in setting fire to paper, cotton waddir><* and other substances. He thinks it possible that in certain conditions inflammable substances, such as bales of cotton bound with hoop iron, could be set on fire by wireless means. i - FIREPBOOSING CONCRETE. We have been wont to look upon concrete as capable of resisting a great deal of beat, and it may seem strange to think of coating it with a fireproof material. However, thera are conditions under which this is necessary. The American Bureau of Standards has been investigating the condition of concrete "which has passed through conflagrations, and has found that if the concrete is made with gravel, particularly siliceous gravel, there is a tendency for the stones to burst in extreme heat, which disintegrate*, the concrete. Accordingly it is recommended that gravel be avoided wherever possible but if impossible the gravel concrete may be protected from extreme heat by coating an inch of cement held in p,ace by a wire mesh. Plasters may. also be used in which asbestos is the principal constituent. _ r ELECTRIFICATION OF RAILWAYS. Mr. E. W. Rice, president of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers recently referred to the value of railway electrification as a possible future opening & i? 0 ? 1 "? Vng • in . the i te d States 8 Much had been said on the economising •ft made by cutting down lighting which, however, was only responsible for two per cent of the total coal consumption. But the consumption by steamdriven railways amounted to 25 per cent, of the total coal, mined,'and the coal was used under such inefficient conditions that to pounds .werojreqiiired per horse-power-hour. Electric traction could boast an efficiency three times as high. Accordingly, if all railways were converted to electricity, a saving of 16 2-3 per cent, of the total coal consumption could eventually be made—far more than could be achieved by suppressing lighting altogether. ° CHAIRS IN THE FACTORY. The old-tune factory manager would have' been horrified at the present-day practice of providing chairs for employees to sit upon whilst carrying out operation* which havo hitherto always been done in a standing posture. These chairs include, for a worker a* a vice=bench, a chair of such a height that the operate? can either sit or stand at his work, and always be at the same distance above it. It is fitted with wide foot-rests, which enable him to work with a file with greater ease speed, and efficiency when sitting than ■ when, standing. Another chair is fitted ! with spring feet and felt lined footrests to -deaden heavy vibration from '"Highspeed sewing-machines. Workers provided I With thes.6 chairs are abb to do more > work with less fatigue than under ordi- ' nary conditions. Perhaps the most in- ! teresting device is the Marshall chair '' consisting of a seat mounted on ball- i bearing wheels which run on a track, so that, the worker can change his position along a bench with a minimum of effort. ine track is supported on two posts, and swivels outwards or inwards on one of them, thus giving a wide range of position An adjustable foot-rest is also provided. A chair- for typists gives the same position for the bauds relative to the keyboard whether the operator sits or stands . He or she, therefore, can stand when tired of sitting, and vice versa. I FLYING STUNTS ON THE GROUND. Before the budding airman is allowed to fly he is put through a course of training on the ground, with a view to minimising the risk of accidents in the air to some schools this course now includes the practice of "stunts'* in a machine known as an " orientator," in which the conditions closely resemble those met with when actually flying. The "orientator consists of a series of rings mounted on gimbals, and turned by electric motors which are under the control of the pupil, who is strapped into a dummy fuselage gimballed to the innermost ring. The outer ring is gimballed to both the ceiling and the floor, a motor at the ceiling gimbal imparting the necessary turning motion. Inside this outer ring is another ring mounted on horizontal gimbals, one of which is turned by a motor. Finallv, at right angles to these gimbals are others which « support the fuselage, which is also rotated by electricity. All the motors are controlled by the usual joystick and rudder controls, and the pupil can put himself through every conceivable combination of motions, including such as closely approximate to the spinning nosedive, the falling leaf, looping the loop, and other we'l-known "stunts." DRIED MEAT. Of late years much attention has been given , to , the drying & vegetables. Hitherto heated air has been exclusively used for this purpose ; but' recently a new drying process has been investigated at Columbia University, which promises to be as effective for meats and fish as for vegetables. The drying is . done in a vacuum by the application of heat, which is sol regulated that the albumens are not coagulated and the fats are not fried out In other wcrds, the dried meat is still raw meat, and retains its original composition except for the absence of water. Moreover, this method of preservation does not involve the destruction of the vitamines, which form such an important (►•Hi me in all fresh foods, and which are mostly destroyed by other methods of preserving meat and fish. The advantages claimed for the new method include the elimination of any possible risk of contamination fi'om germs in the air, and the drying of the food in one chamber instead of pawing it Ihrouuh several. In the experimental apparatus ufed at the university the vacuum is produced by an electric motor, hut pumps worked hv steam-power will probably be employed tor carrying on the process commercially, " >n which case the exhaust steam can he • utilised as the source of heat. i

■ssW XI RUST REMOVER. ■iii-.' , ■ • ;'s| Make "a solution of one part sulphuric a;:id to 10 parts water, as.d dip in it the parts from which it is desired to remove rust. Next dip them in a bath of hot lime water and keep them in it until they have become so hot that they dry immediately on being taken out. Then . rub the parts with dry bran or sawdust "fend they will be found to be perfectly < cisan, and may be painted with fireproof : paint, blued or nickeled. MEASURING GRADES. Grades are measured in per cent, and not in degrees, as is usually supposed. '>e per cent, grade is the rise per unit of length, the latter measured on a line which is horizontal with reference to the • slope. If a slope at the- end -of a 1000 ft ; line is 50ft above the point made at the beginning of the grade, the latter is sai)d to be one of 5 per cent, or 50fU rise in iOOOft. A rise oi lit for every 3ft, measured horizontally, would be a gradient „r 33" 1-3 per cent., and a 100 per cent, grade would be a rise of one in one ana is represented by an angle of 45 degrees, and not 90, as generally supposed. A CLEVER WINDOW ATTACHMENT. The Autocar describes a recent development in window-raising attachments The device is intended to displace the usual strap, and consists of a. small rotatable handle placed approximately where the - old peg was to be found, this handle being geared to a chain pulley, over which passes a roller chain that carries upon it a projection engaging with a cam slot. The cam slot is cut in a sheet metal bracket attached to the lower extremity of the movable window, and as the operating handle is turned the chain assumes ' different positions, the window being lowered or raised accordingly. Contained in the gearing mechanism of the window operating handle is an ingenious device whereby the glass panel is held immovable in any required position. ' A RECIPE FOR BENZOL USERS. The London Times, commenting on the - va »t sums of money" which go out of the . '- cc niitry on the purchases of petrol, pleads a more extended _use of benzol, and for a more extended useof benzol,, and says : • — Lot the motorist provide himself with an eight-ounce bottle containing a mix- ' tore of three-parts of benzol to one of '..} ether. A few drops in each cylinder, a \f quick turn of the crank, a prompt tickf ling of .the carburettor, and tha most r reluctant engine starts. Cars differ in ', their power of 'pulling* with different , spirits. dome do better on pure benzol, •■" others on benzol with a proportion of '■** petrol added. We have the assurance of many motorists that all do at least as Y well, and often much better, on benzol lis,? benzol-petrol mixture than on foreign i% petrol. Let motorists keep the home ■ *. spirit, vapoorising." ; J ALL-METAL VALVE ADAPTER.' - ?*; Among some of the /most ,„ interesting ,;' accessories lately' put on Hriat is a .-"Burn all-metal tyre /valve" adapter;" ; •' The device unintended- to replace the orC dinary valve, which, owing to the use of, rnbFer both for the plunger and* the packing of the cap, is liable to give the ". motorist trouble. Every driver has exi perienced the annoyance cansed by a. - -:Kakj^j^||^g|^^^ggßnger,. - especially "'in'not' , Burn adapter differs from the ordinary valve bv having; a spiral spring and ball in place of the usual robber-headed plunger, and fitted to the cap is a xevolvable metal cone which, whan screwed home, makes, an air-twht joint with the. cone-shaped neck of the valve body. ' A drop of oil occasionally en this neck is all the attention required to keep the apparatus) in i order. The only rubber used is the small .. washer at the base. CONCERNING DOORS. The door is a distinct- point of weakneiso in the body of a motor-car, owing to thegap caused thereby. This necessi r taies increased weight . to .compensate * partly for the deficiency. It is this ■ weakness which , causes rattles and soneaks in the neighbourhood of the door' when the car is ' travelling a rough surface. The makers of the B.N. car believe they have solved the problem. They fit what they describe as a half-door—-in other words, the door only extends about two-thirds of the way down, so that *» » a substantial section of body between the bottom of -the door, and the running, boards and this, needless to Bay; makes for stability, -, If this system were adopted generally it Would result in un 16 re6*nction H -in height, and" °™t:*?S?o Whw* inconvenience indeed to passebgers,. entering the car. simply Jbay* to;-jrtep a little mgher/j;7\. \ /sv..r< ?-\y.--*>; CSECKING TUB INTAKE OF DUST. The Autocar, in a.recent issue, dealt with the adviiialiKty of r filtering the air before at passes into the carburetter, as, under existing drenmstances," road dust is taxan m with the air. It way or may not choke, the carburetter, but. will certainly act as an abrasive, and consequently caT wear to the bearings pistons, etc. The engineer of an American firm brought the subject recently before the Society of Automotive Engineers, and expressed the opinion that private cars could be run for 50,000 miles without taking up a bearing, and with a great reduction of wear to the pistons and cylinders, I they were equipped with efficient air filters. . Provision is already being made in the case of some agricultural tractors, which naturally operate in a cloud of dust. "Air washers'* are fitted iso that nil enterii g air must pass throng! water be/ore ii reaches the car-, buretter air intake. It ]. a standard fitting on the Fardson tractor, so successful y demonstrated at Elsenberg. The moiUu-e in the air itself is said to result i" a mother running engine, and to reliuco carbonisation and pinking. UNCONVENTIONAL CYCLE DESIGN. There have been many attempts on the J art of designers of motor cycles to 1 reak away from the conventional "dia- > .ond frame and for some time past says the Motor Cycle, there has been a d.vide.i tendency for more thought to be riven to the great possibilities of pressed steel. By reducing as much as possible too use of steel tubing, it is thought that jessed steel cons'.ruction will greatly as- •■'*' in overcoming several inherent faults ' ' the conventional motor cycle hv enclos- '"*■'. the engine and gear box as in a car and so removing the possibility of oil' "'/' c 7X • ,i, ' ,V '' , ',• Tiv closing the ' "•aching' ,f. Is also possible to produce • machine which can be washed down bv ■> Hove, thus reducing the amount of work '"'?'" v l " 'V' 1 '' 1 a machine in first . rat( , . • , .'rtit.. ii. One of the most interesting >"-M>:n a ,>,, these lines 8 that of the Wnck I'niirn motor PV| ., e . The l.'ec-llnv h-wcier , departs "♦'""'"•I' from *en hi, ...nal that several nianufa(?t j , erft;,m"" ; ' re ~ke,- v to hp ™«™- : i"l:t h ,t",, ,nn,l , tor^ rJ !l -n-' Wilkin,, 'I, ' -;■ " ,r> . wlthout special : two BidopJ,, ,( mP '•, ste7 OEed of] 11 ibv means ~f ' dM ' ' ''onnert- , h-id a. 1 thVi. , Bub - I f !' , , nl0 ' tho Peering , I«rt or l,i fr- n ■ W 'V' ,! l " ler an '" ' '""""'y- •' Two tr-in-.- instead „r ', ■ y■ <«o *........... I f " c ' pan, t|„ o ,._|, the ~, ".in-\,.r>e ' "'"'■ ' ■"■wtmg Lai,,,,. i. ,or !ir,h 1 : ,,, . 1,, ", ni,, i i tereslmg )V a «, HI ,. K , )f t h' .- '" ; '. st "" ' >P«;;-f Hi*, wheel 'J? d '» tli, , -t.,,im piece, form the wheel: * V