Motor and Cycle

Otago Witness, Issue 4048, 13 October 1931, Page 63

Motor and Cycle

by

DEMON

The membership of the Wellington Automobile Club is given as 5128, an increase of 603 over the previous year. So sensitive is the light beam timing apparatus that will be used when Mr Norman “Wizard” Smith attempts to break the motor speed record on the Ninety-mile Beach (North Auckland) in December that it will register even the passing of a bird within the focus of the machine. The device is so set that a beam of light passes from a projector to a receiver, and the interruption of the beam by a passing object is automatically recorded on a strip of tape. Such apparatus i? part of the equipment regarded as- essential before the new racing records are recognised by the International Automobile Association of Recognised Automobile Clubs.

“ I would like the public to know,” said Sub-inspector Lopdell in the Magistrate’s Court in Wellington, “ that they are required to- have their driver’s license with them when driving, and to produce it on demand. Many unlicensed drivers when challenged claim to be licensed, and in order to detect them we have to follow up all such claims, thus multiplying our work. In a number of cases they have not got licenses.” Interviewed later the sub-inspector said that a fine of £5 could be: imposed upon a motorist who refused or failed to produce his driving license when asked to do so by a competent officer. “We have no desire to proceed against a man who has a license,” he said, “but the fact that we always have to verify whether drivers arc really licensed leads to a good deal of trouble and often considerable difficulty.” COMBATING POISON GAS. Among the millions of pounds’ worth of equipment in General Motors factory in Detroit, Michigan,, there is an interesting machine known as an ozonator. This machine generates ozone to counteract carbon monoxide gas which escapes from the exhausts of cars as they are driven from the assembly line. “As you stand at the end of the line, watching workers putting the finishing touches on a chassis,” said Mr L. L. King, production manager of General Motors, New Zealand, “ you will see a large metal box suspended from the ceiling over the line. This is to protect the men from the danger of carbon monoxide gas. Of course, this gas docs not exist all along the assembly line, because the cars are moved by conveyors rather than by their own power. At the end of the line, however, the engines are started and the cars driven off. With cars constantly leaving the line, naturally there is a lot of carbon monoxide gas in the air. The ozonator is a rectangular sheet metal box enclosing a transformer and a group of glass cylinders which are coated with copper foil. Surrounding each glass cylinder is another cylinder of aluminium. In the space between these two cylinders a continuous electric discharge is produced. Ozone is generated by circulating room air through this discharge by means of a. small blower, located on the machine This ozone oxidises carbon monoxide and renders it harmless. The ozonator is typical of the consideration shown for the welfare of the employees in al] departments. Every possible device that will make working conditions better is provided. Under these conditions employees can display their best craftsmanship.” SKILLED WORKMAN TOUCH. This period of history has been called the Machine Age so often, and the name has been so universally accepted, that it comes as something of a surprise to have a question raised whether that appellation is right or not. Hence, when no less an authority than H. L. Weckler, works manager of the Buick Motor Company, asserts that really the man is more important than the machine, it is interesting to find out why he thinks so. It is the skill of the individual workman, and not the mere machine or tool that he uses, that determines just how fine any piece of handiwork will be, Mr Weckler believes. He cites the guild spirit, that made the workshops of old London famous for honest craftsmanship and sturdy quality, as a time-honoured instance. That same spirit is alive to-day in many industries, for men have not changed, and pride in the work of the hands is still to be found among them. The finest machinery and tools will not produce fine automobiles, unless expertly handled. To scientifically developed steels and other metals, to expert engineering, the best types of equipment and infinitely accurate tools and measuring instruments, there must be added the touch of the thorough mechanic to complete the cycle. TOO MANY ROAD SIGNS. The question has been raised in America and in New Zealand the point could well be taken by many local bodies—whether, in the anxiety to give the motor vehicle driver warning of any possible danger in the roadway, the system of warning signs has been carried too far. Robbins B. Stoeckel, commissioner of motor vehicles for Connecticut and a highway executive of long experience, raises this question in a bulletin recently released by his department. “ It is no aid to safety, but may be the opposite,” says Mr Stoeckel, “to have so many direction signs that no one will pay attention to any of them; to have white division lines on roads where they arc not needed;, to have too much headlight power where conditions do not warrant

fast driving at night; and to have numerous signs which do not mean what they say, such as ‘ Stop ’ signs in places who*-« the message should be ‘ Caution.’ ” Almost any driver has seen signs erected by the roadside, warning him of a curve, and has slowed down with proper caution, only to find that the curve presents no difficulty and no danger. The tendency in such eases is to begin to disregard any sign reading ‘ Curve.’ Now there are some curves, short-angled swings, where any driver fit to operate a motor vehicle would want to slow down to make the turn. Such curves should have the cautionary sign. But if the real warning of such signs has been weakened by overuse, even a careful driver may run into an accident by disregarding the warning ■ that has been given. _ The whole subject of placing warning signs and signals iq one that deserves careful and expert study. We must by all means have needed signs, but we must not weaken the whole system of warning drivers by misusing our warnings.

STREAMLINING. NORMAN SMITH'S CAR. In the design of the Enterprise car, with which Mr Norman Smith intends to attack Sir Malcolm Campbell’s world's land speed record of 245.7 miles an hour in about two months’ time, Mr D. J. Harkness, of Sydney, has made a strong feature of the reduction of frontal area offering resistance to the wind, as compared with that of either the Golden Arrow or the Blue Bird. While possessing apparently equal streamlining towards the rear portion of the car to that of either of its great rivals. Mr Harkness claims that he has secured an advantage over them both by the reduction of frontal resistance to the passage of the car. Practical tests made with two Chryslers of the same model overseas indicate the soundness of the claim. One of the cars was streamlined and weighed 42401 b. while the other, not streamlined, weighed 39001 b, each being loaded with three passengers whose weight was included. They were subjected to three tests—coasting from initial speeds ranging from 6.2 to 56 miles an hour; acceleration from starting speeds ranging from 6.2 to 19 miles an hour to a limit of 56 miles an hour; and fuel consumption along a level stretch of road at 341 miles an hour, with both cars running level. In the coasting tests at initial speeds between 18 and 56 miles an hour the streamlined car had a performance 25 to 35 per cent, better than that of its rival. It also showed superior results in the acceleration test, being faster all the way up to 56 miles an hour, which speed it reached about five seconds sooner than the ear which was not streamlined. Each car was required to go from one speed to a higher speed in top gear. The fuel test was made by both cars travelling the same route at the same speed. On a dry road in good condition a course of 34.2 miles was covered at speeds ranging from 18.7 to 47 miles an hour, the mean being 32 miles an hour. The streamlined car used 1.72 gallons of petrol and the other 2.77 gallons. The test, carried out at a good touring average speed of 32 miles an hour with a well-loaded car, indicates the value of streamlining for everyday performance no less than purely for speed. As far as speed itself is concerned, some interesting results were also obtained the use of a streamlined body on a Studebaker chassis. A sedan with an engine developing 125 brake horsepower attained a top speed of 80 miles an hour; when a 200 h.p. engine was substituted the speed was increased to 94 miles an hour. Reverting to the 125 h.p. engine, and fitting a streamlined body, resulted in a top speed of 107 miles an hour being, attained. THE COOLING SYSTEM. Owners of engines cooled by the thermosyphon system will enjoy better cooling in hot weather if they will remember to keep the radiator well filled. In this type cooling the circulation of the water is basedon the principle of the rising of fluid when heated. If the water level in the radiator is. too low there will be a break in the fluid, and therefore slower circulation. Often this system is condemned as inefficient. when the real trouble is- due io slow leakage at the bottom of the radiator or at the hose connections. In some cases a cylinder head gasket leak has been the cause of overheating. Where a pump is used it is better not to carry the water level so high, because agitation of the water may cause much of it to go out the overflow. This is particularly true of ears which have excessive water circulation at high speed. CARS LINDER £IOO. Although the £lOO car has for some months been a reality in England, it may be said with certainty that this figure will shortly seem almost expensive. One of the oldest and largest of the Coventry manufacturers is about to market a fourwheeled car, which will be sold as a fourseater for £B5. The engine is air-cooled, is placed at the rear of the chassis, and the space occupied in the normal ear by the engine and radiator will be used as a luggage compartment. The ear has passed long and strenuous tests, and is fast and quiet, and can run 35 to 40 miles on a gallon of fuel. Four adults can be seated in comfort.

Another Coventry surprise will be the production by another old-established firm of a small 7 horsepower saloon with four doors, a sliding, roof, and no pillars between the doors. When these are opened

the sides of the ear offer absolutely no im- I pediment to entry or exit. The car is al- I ready in production, but the new model i will have a rear petrol tank and half- ( elliptic back springs, as well as the body without central pillars. There is almost certainly a verj- cheap 12 h.p. 6-cylinder new model on conventional lines due to come out from Coventry shortly from a famous firm. It has a high performance, and will be a notable addition to the ranks of very small sixes. FLYING STONES. A motorist, after returning from a week-end jaunt, finds himself faced with the expense of providing his car with a new windscreen. The incident happened on the Motukarara road (says the Christchurch Times), and was due to the thoughtless action of a driver passing on a corner at speed with the inevitable slide and shower of stones. To make matters worse this driver cut in across the other, and treated the car to both barrels, aa it were, of assorted road metal. While most of the ammunition was wasted one ehance shot secured a bull’s-eye on the windscreen, showering broken glass over the interior of the car. Fortunately no one was injured. The driver of the damaged car has the other’s number, but what he can do to obtain compensation is problematical. The blame for this type of accident is hard to fix in all cases. Sometimes it is pure accident and a hazard of the road. In many cases it is due to the sheer road-hogging propensities of the passing car’s driver. A point to remember is to give a car plenty of room to pass and do not cut in after passing. If it is necessary to pass, wait until the road is straight. DRIVERS’ GOGGLES. A consignment of goggles left London recently for Italy. This was a sequel to the Irish Grand Prix, when the Italian driver Campari’s eye was injured by a stone striking his goggles, which, unfortunately, were of ordinary glass. The stone only struck the edge of the “ pane,” but the lower lid and the lower part of the eyeball were badly cut. His first act on arriving in London was to choose a non-splinterable model, and place an order for a quantity. Curiously enough, one of the first exhibits Campari saw in the showroom was the pair of goggles Sir Henry Birkin had used in the race wlien he won his class. They had been struck by a stone flung up by Campari’s car! In this case the stone had struck one of the “ panes ” right in the centre, but, though badly starred, it had not shed a fragment. SitHenry Birkin’s goggles are rather interesting in that the glasses, which, with the sheet of celluloid "between them form the Triplex sandwich, are optically worked lenses which have been specially prescribed for hint to adjust his vision when at the wheel. SPEED AND BRAKE EFFICIENCY. The important relation between the distance in which an efficient set of brakes will stop a car and the speed of the ear at the instant of full application of the brakes is so imperfectly understood bj’ the majority of drivers that there is no doubt that too many people are inclined to expect more from their brakes than they should, especially when travelling faster than about 30 miles an hour. The excess of confidence in even the best of brakes is unquestionably one cause of road accidents. The brakes of a motor car may be crudely likened to the safety valve of an engine. They are a device for “ letting off ” the energy represented by the speed of the car just as a safety valve lets off dangerous energy represented by steam pressure in a boiler. The time, or what is much the same thing, the distance, in which a car may be stopped with a given set of brakes, therefore, depends on the energy which the brakes have to dissipate. This energy, in turn, depends on two factors —the weight of the car, which, being the same for all speeds, may be disregarded, and the speed of the car. If the brakes have to “ let off a certain amount of energy in stopping the car from, say, 20 miles an hour, four times, as much must be dissipated in stopping from 40 miles an hour, or nine times as much in stopping from 60 miles an hour. Added to this, there is a. tendency for the brake efficiency to decrease as the speed increases, owing mainly to the tendency of the wheels to slip on the road. Moreover, in an emergency the car travels much farther at a high speed in the short period between the moment when the driver realises his situation and the instant when he applies the brakes than it does if driven more moderately. The net result of this is that the cautious motorist should always realise that if he can stop his car in about 12ft from 20 miles an hour he will require at least 50ft in which to come to rest from 40 miles an hour, and not less than about 120 ft to stop from 60 miles an hour. These figures represent fair values for a moderately loaded car fitted with really good brakes, and they will, of course, be much increased if the car is heavily loaded or if the brakes are of indifferent efficiency.

FATIGUE AND DEPRECIATION. One of the most important causes of depreciation in motor vehicles, especially after the first 25,000 or 30,000 miles of running is due to a phenomenon in the various metals from which the engine and chassis is_ built, which is known as fatigue. Fatigue is experienced after long use in nearly all forms of machinery, and although it can occasionall be corrected, it usually results in the destruction of the part affected. The manner in which metal parts fatigue can be shown by the simple experiment of taking a piece of thin wire, such as a hairpin, and bending it smartly to and fro at one point. Very soon the wire, which was soft and pliable at this point, will become brittle, and break through. If the point of fracture be examired under a powerful magnifying glass a distinct crystalline structure of the metal will be noted. Actually what has happened is that the process of bendmg has caused a rearrangement in the particles of the metal, entirely altering its properties. The constant running vibration of the parts of

a car, especially in the transmission, produces the same effect on the steel as the bending does on the -wire of the hairpin. Its temper changes, its strength fails, and a breakdown ultimately occurs. One of the parts of a car particularly liable to iatigue, which, fortunately, can be softened again without difficulty, is the copper pipe conveying petrol from tank to carburettor. Fractures of the petrol pipe are among the most common faults in the fuel supply system, and nearly all of these are due to the fatigue of tbc copper pipe. It the pipe be examined regularly to ensure that the metal is still soft, this trouble will never occur. If the pipe is found to have hardened it can be softened by removal from the car, and bv heating to a red heat in a gas flame. DEATH OF A MOTORIST. WIDOW AWARDED DAMAGES. WELLINGTON, September 7. The Arbitration Court to-day gave judgment for the plaintiff in the ease" in which Florence May Radclitie, widow, claimed £lOOO and £5O funeral expenses from the Canadian Knight and Whippet Motor Company, arising out of the death of her husband when the car which he was driving from Wellington to Wanganui ran off the road and overturned. The accident, it was claimed, arose out of and in the course of the deceased's employment. The company’s defence was that the deceased was receiving over £4OO a year —salary £329 Ils and commission £l2l. The court, however, accepted the argument that expenses had to be deducted. Mr Perry, for the defendants, submitted that there was a question of law involved, and asked his Honor to state a case for the Court of Appeal. Hie Honor said that once the court had given its decision there wns no question ot stating a case. However, if Mr Perry did find an authority on the matter he would certainly allow an opportunity of having the point discussed further. TRAFFIC HELPED ALONG. lhe tendency in England, and in London particularly, is to help traffic along rather than ‘boggle’ it with regulations which generally may be all right, but in particular cases arc no good at all,” said Mr Edgar Stead, who lias just returned to New Zealand after a motor tour of 6000 miles through England. Mr Stead said that right throughout his tour in ! England he received the utmost courtesy from traffic officers and policemen, yet in Wellington, when he was a passenger in a motor ear which infringed a traffic signal, the inspector took it as a personal insult, and was all but abusive over a very trivial matter. The removal of the speed limit on the open road had not resulted in any great increase in the speed of cars, for the reason that the drivers realised that the responsibility was on them more than ever to maintain every reasonable care on the road. It bad actually resulted in a decrease in the number of accidents, which formerly were deplorably common. “ I could not imagine a traffic inspector in New Zea land directing motor ears on to the foot path to expedite traffic, - ’ said Mr Stead He would have a fit if it was suggested to him, but in England it is more or less common Any practical way of helping the traffic along is adopted. The regulations are designed to get the traffic through as speedily as possible without any prohibitions that simply serve to annoy motorists.”