The Automobile World. Science and Inventions.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17348, 20 December 1919, Page 9 (Supplement)

The Automobile World. Science and Inventions.

NEW SOTTECE OF POWER. Dealing with the subject of new sources of power, Sir Charles Parsons, the new president of the British Association, recently referred to live molecular energy and the sinking of shafts into the bowels of the earth. He speaks of a shaft of 12 miles deep, 10 times the depth of any existing one, which would cost £5,000,000 and take 85 years to sink. The cost, not quit* that of one day's war, would be trivial compared with the enormous gains that might accrue. Bore holes have already been used in Italy, and they discharge large volumes of high-pressure steam, utilised for general power by turbines.. OK, FUEL FOE SHIPS. Engineers are busy devising methods for adapting boilers of trading vessels for oilborn! Not much difficulty exists in making alterations to furnaces; the hardest part of the problem is providing storage tanks and installing forced draught. But this is being solved. A tor. or oil will generate 50 per cent, more steam than a ton of coal. Oil costs three times as much a.s coal, but the engineToom staff can be reduced by nearly twothirds without loss of efficiency. Recently a British light cruiser made a long trip with only two stokers. Had she been a coal-burner such a feat would have been impossible. WALKING UP AN LEON POLE. By means of a climbing apparatus invented by a resident of Manchester, England, it is now possible to go np an iron pole finite easily. The apparatus coinRists of two clamps, one for the feet and one for the hands. First the climber adjusts the lower clamp and stands on it; next he clamps en the upper one, which has projecting handles and to which a waist-strap may be attached. After graspine the handles firmly he pushes the lower clamp upward with the feet. Thus, by adjusting first the foot clamp and then the hand one he walks up the pole. GREAT NOVELTY IN BRICKS. , A self-bounding and interlocking brick is now much in vogue in the Pacific States of America, and is regarded by many brick manufacturers as something which is certain to revolutionise the material end of the brick trade. The idea was to construct a brick wall that would not crumble and fall down in the event of earthquakes, such, as the San Francisco disaster. A die was made which produced a brick having two annular depressions on one >ide and two annular bosses on the opposite side, the bosses being concentrically located with the depressions. This makes a perfect interlocking system possible. The bosses register into the depressions with absolute exactness, and the bricks bind themselves in whatever direction or form thev are laid. Th construction of hollow walls is very popular just now, and brick men say that this type of brick is particularly good for this sort of building, because it enables the builder to anchor one wail to the other. HOMES THAT COME IN PIECES. From New Orleans comes a really ingenious idea for simplifying building construction. The system insists of a series of round, unit rooms connected by hall units and finished off with porch units. These units, made of concrete, ar 6 said to be fireproof, weather proof, warm in winter and cool in summer. With proper care the units should last more than 100 years. Now, the unique feature oTThe invention is that the units can be moulded in quantities and readily transported to the site of the proposed house. A family -an start with a home consisting of two or three units, connected by hall units and finish* '1 off with a porch member. Any time in the future the family can increase the size of the home by adding unite in J any desirable manner. The home may be laid out in the form of an L or T, or even a square, with an enclosed court, since the units are flexible in so far as their arrangement is concerned. 240,000 PAVING BLOCKS A DAY. This is an age of machinery, and one is not surprised to learn that the engineer has tackled the question of an automatic device for the rapid cutting up of the blocks used for paving streets. The machine comprises a, conveyor and hoisting device designed for handling the wood planks from which the paving blocks are to be cut. After the planks are taken to the hoisting conveyor they are unloaded by two workmen and are placed one after the other on the chain of the conveyor m order to be taken by the latter to the level of the horizontal table and there to get on the endless chain and conveyer. They are thus thrown as far as the first two sets of circular saws, The middle portion of the plank being cut by the Third set, which comprise seven saws. Under the action of the conveyor the blocks then go on their way, getting below the rollers, in order there to remain until the arrival of the next series, when they are pushed towards a tilting device. The completed pavement blocks, 16 from each plank, Ihus get to the sorting tables. The machine is designeed for a maximum oWput of 25 planks per minute, giving, with a 10 Lours' daily operation, 240.000 pavement blocks, which is far in excess of anything yielded by previous machines of a similar kind. THE MIGHTY ATOM. Sir Oliver Lodge, lecturing at Birmingham in connection with the James Watt centenary celebrations, said the atomic euergv in an ounce of matter, if it could bo utilised, would be sufficient to raise tl. e German ships at Scapa Flow and pile them on the top of a Scottish mountain. If this energy could be used on an extensive scaie, it would greatly ameliorate the conditions of factory life. There would H no smoke, no dirt, and the, power would be very compact and clean. He hoped, however, that the human race would not discover how to use this energy uritil it had brains and morality enough to use it properly. If the discovery were made before its time, and by the wrong people, this very planet would be unsafe. If atomic energy were liberated on, a large scale, the whole thing would blow up. He sometimes wondered when a star flashed erratically across the heavens whether some inhabitant had begun to make the discovery. We were beginning to utilise a very minute fraction of this energy, and it war energy that had made wirelesffTtlephuiiy possible.

WATER PTJHIFICATION, Purification of water is demanded for many industries, including engineering. For softening purposes lime and soda plants have Jong been in use, but variations in the method are available. Thus the lime is sometimes dispensed with, the temperature of the water being relied upon to remove temporary hardness. Other methods, too, have been developed. S|. ( ■, i,-il attention hag been given to the Mihjei t by the demand for pure water by the umifJ, and the work done during the war should find immediate and extending ap[),;,.ations for civil purposes. The pertiitii.it, proces-s is simplicity iteeTT. i ermutit is an insoluble, alumino-silieate of soda., which, in cor.tart with hard water, exti.iftf the calcium and magnesium from their compounds, replacing sodium, which ') t> not contribute to hardness. By extended imp the pennutit becomes vitiated, hut is readily revivified by means of brine, »hj. ji effects a reverse change. Normally, revivification is effected at the end of a Hav ■> run or at other convenient periods. Without the application of any other mat-"-ial« hardness l* reduced to zero. The method is readily applicable in very small units, and is thus available for domestic iisp. War applications of the method have been made in the purification of the water for engine radiators in both the British and French air services.

TEST THE SPEEDOMETER. i Speedometers are not by any means infallib Every motorist, on getting a new car, ought to test the speedometer over a measured mile, so that h e may know to what extent it varies from the path of rectitude. A recorder which is not reliable is of little use to the driver. A PUNCTURE WARNING DEVICE.' This invention is described in the French journal, L'Auto. It consists of a rod provided with a spring which abuts on the inner tube, so arranged that when the tyre is deflated it allows a short rod connected to a bel* crank lever to come into contact with a metallic disc, enabling the driver to stop the machine the very moment the tyro is deflated. It can be so adjusted that it comes into operation before deflation is complete. MOTOR-CYCLE LOOK. A company has been formed in England to manufacture motor locks of various types, among which two motor-cycle models are included. > Briefly, the device consists of a Yale box lock, which is made to suit no fewer than 5000 different keys, and a swivelling cross bar for inserting hetween the spokes of the wheel. The lock is fixed to the left side stay, and on the right sid* stay a swivel bar carrier is fixed, the b&r of which is of hardened steel, having no shoulders or other abutments by which the lock could b« forced. When not in use this bar falls into a position parallel to the stay, to which it is secured by a steel clip. MOTORISTS' ROADSIDE CAMP. Thp up -"to- date crossHcountry l motorist may new equip himself with a moat elaborate roadside home. Weighing complete only 124 pounds, the entire equipment may be lashed to the running board ; ye,t, when erected, it will furnish four bedrooms, a 7ft by lift diningroom, with a similar room for general purposes, and a 20ft by 6jft garage. Screened windows with storm flaps keep out mosquitoes and bad weather. Another feature which recommends this new accessory is the fact that the tent is not dependent on the auto for support. Hence the family may take an evening ride to the local movies or other trip, after the labour of pitching the tent and cooking supper. SKYSCRAPER GARAGES. The more densely populated & city, the more business men there are who would like to use their cars going to and from places of business, and tie less space there is to accommodate their cars. Garaging facilities, are not increasing, while the number of cars is steadily increasing. An ingenious American proposes to provide a garage right in the midst of a city, and, because of the limitation of space, his plan is to build a garage in the form of a tower. There would be a spiral driveway running up on an easy grade, from which on either side there would be stalls inclined at such an angle as to provide easy access from the driveway. In other words, tha tower would have a continuous spiral floor reaching from tile bottom- to top so that there would be a very compact arrangement of the stalls with practically no waste space. ; At the centre of the tower there would be a spiral leading downward, access to which could be had at intervals from the , ascending driveway. As designed, the building would accommodate 40 cars per , story, and with 18 stories, would accom i modate TOO cars. MOTORISTS' AUTOMATIC GUIDE. Inventive genius has found an automatic substitute for the road guides, route books, logs, and maps that motorists commonly use on long tours. This substitute is i nothing more than a tape carrying full ini structions and information as to the route r and the points of interest, which is r mounted in a suitable device that attaches , to the instrument board or dash of any 3 automobile and is connected with the front wheel. As the car starts away on a trip, the tape in the automatic road guide begins to unwind itself under the glass on the face of the instrument. Directions on s the tape indicate the car's exact position r anywhere on the road and give warning c miles ahead of all turns, bridges, railway 3 crossings, or danger spots. Everything 3 that the man in the car needs to know j I about any route he has never travelled 1 before, including hotel and garage accommodations, historic points of interest, and ' other information, is brought before his 1 eyes without his having to lift his hand from the steering-wheel at any time. It, » is simplicity itself. Being small and com- - pact in size, it works with accuracy. In- ' deed, eminent automobile engineers hav« • marvelled at its operation. For nieln t travelling over dangerous roads it is 3 almost indispensable to motorists. r "~" i 5000 MILE BENZOLE TEST. } o/mn *i e Co " clTls i on of something over i 2400 miles *■««*«*«■ outfit, on which i the British A.A. benzole test is being a earned out, arrived in Coventry once s again. The engine was stripped' for ex--5 animation under expert- observation No ,< engine trouble had been experienced up :> to the time of inspection, with the ex•j ception of a stretched exhaust valve due to the high average speeds maintaineo throughout the trip. On the removal of the cylinder, it was immediately obvious that there was a much smaller quan- : - tity of carbon deposit than the circurat stances warranted. In fact, th e estic mates of the observers varied from half i to a-quarter of the amount of carbon e usually present after the same distance on e petrol. It should be mentioned that the _ piston showed slight signs of seizure, and . the top ring was slightly stuck in its e groove. This, of course, would tend to j increase carbon deposit, but, as far as ■j could be ascertained, the trouble was in no way due to the use of benzole as a I fuel, but rather to the gruelling test to i which the machine had been subjected. The t same cause was probably responsible for the fact that the exhaust valve was rather burned and scaled, though otherwise the i engine was in perfect condition. Practically no trouble was experienced throughe out the trip, and th e "tender,"' a similar , machine carrying four cans of fuel in addition to a 12-stone passenger, was still r running so well that it was not conside ered necessary to strip the engine. i ' TRAILERS FOR DAIRY WORK. During the first years of the war, the pressure of preparing food products in Australia for the provisioning of the Brir tish forces in the various fighting areas called for a speeding up of the motor i transport used in the dairying industry. - j Tins was accomplished by th e employa I ment of trailers wherever the contour of b the roads rendered their use permissible. i In practice, they proved such a success r that their employment became general. . One of the most successful of com--8 binations is a trailer with a load capaf city of 30cwt, which is employed for the 8 transport of milk, cream, or butter. It z I is coupled to its tractor, a 2-ton net load * j 28-h.p. motor lorry, by a spring drawt I bar on the end of a trailer pole. It is so attached that it gives a minimum of ' clearance in relation to its tractor, and * j the outfit as a unit may be backed into, j j and turned in, confined spaces. When 1 ; engaged upon work, the trailer is taken " ' out 17 miles from the central factory, un- ' J coupled at a collecting depot to be loaded, > ! whilst the. lorry proceeds to the limit of ' ! its outward run. It is there loaded with * ! its full complement of 2 tens of milk, ■ '< and picks up its trailler on the honief i ward journev. It will thus be seen that, 3 j independently of increasing the haulage 1 ; capacity of the lorry by 75 per cewt., 3 ; what would be standing time required to 3 load the lorry with the additional load r of SOcwt, if the whole load of 3£ tons ; were carried on its own platform, is converted into profitable running time. J