NEW MOTOR ENGINE

Southland Times, Issue 19291, 9 July 1924, Page 8

NEW MOTOR ENGINE

NOVEL INVENTION. A new internal combusion engine, known as “Luce-Mattson,” has been invented by two Portland (U.SA.) engineers—Louis L. Luce and Leroy Mattson. It has been mounted in a car, and in various tests has troved very satisfactory. In a recent issue of the Scientific American, the motor was described as fellows:— “A new motor that seems to be well adapted to motor truck service is a combination of three engines—steam and two and four-stroke cycle gasoline motors. The inventors claim the good points of each are retained, and disadvantages eliminated. As soon ag the engine to operate, it begins to generate steam by the heat of the exhaust gases that in all former types of gasoline motors are a total waste. The steam that is generated in this manner is used to scavenge the cylinders of dead gases and eliminate carbon at the same time. The steam generator does three things at cne time, viz., generates steam, cools the hot gases, and forms a muffler all in one unit. “The inventors clain that disadvantages of the former two-cylinder engine are entirely eliminated, stating that the engine cannot backfire. There is no mixing of gasoline and oil together as in the case with most two-cycle motors, as no base compression is used to transfer the charge. The oil splash lubricates as is the case with all four-cycle engines, but the complicated parts of the four-cycle motors have also disappeared in this motor. “There are no valves, sleeves, gears, spring tappets, cams, cam-shafts, or timing gears, which is equal to the conventional six-cylinder four-cylinder power plant in smooth power application, and which has mere than 200 parts, has but sixteen complete interior working units. The only working parts are the pistons, connecting rods, and crankshaft.” LONG WHEEL BASE IS IT ESSENTIAL FOR COMFORT? In the opinion of T. B. Van Alstyne, president of the Van Alstyne Motor Corporation, New York, it is pointedly up to the automobile manufacturer, plus public co-operation, to adopt drastic measures and, through the medium of sane co-opera-tion, eliminate to a marked degree the fast growing congested traffic conditions in metropolitan centres. Recalling that practically all municipalities, both large and small, are devising ways and means to relieve traffic congestion and admitting that one-way streets, traffic signals, and so on, have made vast improvement, Mr Van Alstyne insists that all of these methods have decided limitations and that the advancement in handling the situation has not kept pace with new car production. First consideration in solving congested traffic problems, he says, should be given to the wheel base or length of car. He contradicts the allegation that long wheel base is necessarily essential for riding or driving comfort. He argues that a scientifically designed spring suspension will function to a greater degree of comfort and efficiency in a wheel base of 113 inches than in many cars of no less than 123-inch wheel base and he also points out that it is not uncommon practice to extend the wheel base to 130 inches or longer. Mr Van Alstyne is equally firm in his declaration that he believes that by standardizing on wheel base of a reasonably short length the whole national problem cf congestion could be readjusted in a short time. (Continued on Next Page).