MOTOR DEVICES

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18408, 15 August 1931, Page 24 (Supplement)

MOTOR DEVICES

FROM ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD. Further testimony to the Inter- ! nationality of the automobile recently was made available in a report of the New Devices Committee of the General . Motors Corporation showing that it examines an average of 6000 new automotive devices a year, offered to the committee for adoption on General Motors cars by inventors from countries all over the world. The flood of inventions, coming not alone from those countries upon European and American continents where automotive manufacturing has seen its principal development but from many countries without automobile factories, hastens the day when the automobile may be truly considered a child of the world, and not one or any half-dozen countries as it was at its inception. In fact, the automobile at the present time has a truly international character, as is witnessed by the fact that the products of twentythree countries go into the manufacture of a Chevrolet. Naturally, .only a few of the 6000 devices which the General Motors committee examines annually, are found to be practicable, but the Interesting point from the standpoint of the motorist is that the Inventive brains of the whole world are beginning to be focussed upon the happy task of providing him with an even better car at lessening cost. General Motors welcomes these contributions to automotive advancement from whatever source, and has set up a definite organisation to fully and fairly consider them when they are received from inventors. Central Clearing House. The New Devices Committee was organised as a central clearing house for all inventions submitted direct to General Motors Corporation. Instead of allowing a meritorious device to drift by a devious route through various channels, the New Devices Committee sees that it goes direct to the person most concerned and with a minimum amount of delay. All kinds of devices are submitted—some of which are very valuable and others that are not technically or economically sound. In order that nothing of merit will be rejected without proper consideration, a very minute inspection is given every device. The New Devices Committee Is composed of three vice-presidents of the Corporation, representatives of the patent department, engineers from the research laboratories and manufacturing divisions, and an engineering and clerical staff. The Committee has | authority to call upon any of the en- | ginecring facilities of the Corporation | for assistance. The personnel of the Committee is such that at least one or two of its members are fully acquainted with the subject matter of any invention submitted. The Corporation is interested in receiving ideas or suggestions relating in any way to the manufacture or improvement of any of its various products. The great majority of devices submitted consist of articles or devices which have been patented or for which applications for patent are pending or are proposed to be filled, but frequently a device, article or idea is submitted which is not capable of any patent protection. Il is these last mentioned items and the ones upon which no applications for patent have been filed that cause the Committee the most concern, as frequently in a large organisation some one of its employees is working upon or has already perfected a similar Idea, and it is sometimes difficult to persuade ttie person submitting such ideas that the Corporation has not attempted Io appropriate it instead of giving him credit. For this reason the Committee is loath to consider any idea or invention upon which its owner has not at least obtained the minimum of legal protection. Less Expensive, Equally Efficacious. The secretary of the Committee has full charge of the organisation dealing with the inventions and all contracts. A file is set up for each Invention submitted and two types of file cards are made out —one for the name of the person or persons submitting the device and one to classify the device Itself. Submitting a device by letter secures fully as much and as careful consideration as submitting a device in person, although it happens that from 15 to 20 per cent of the devices are submitted personally. This often Is a needless waste of time and money for the inventor, because the New Devices <: immiltee is just as anxious to examine inventions as the inventors i are to have their devices considered. Inventors are promptly notified of the action of the committee, and if the invention is nf no interest they are so advised but no reasons are ever given for such determinations, as experience lias shown that discussions arc not satisfactory Io either side. Should the invention be one in which 'he Corporation might be interested--the proportion of such inventions is very small indeed —the inventor is communicated with, and before anything further is done an agreement is entered into with the inventor clearly setting forth the terms upon which the Corporation will undertake its investigation and the compensation it will pay the Inventor In the event of it being used. The Starting Point. Typically the Inventor focuses his attention on some part of a mechanism with which he Is dissatisfied and usually adds a part to correct what he . i considers a faulty design. Rarelv I does he subtract something or simplify I a part. If his Invention “works’’ he Is generally sure that he has discovered something greatly to bo desired, j but the fact that It “works” is not the only criterion of Its value. It myst meet the demands of production and sales, and there Is always a big difference between “working” and being able to capitalise it at a profit. This failure tn take Into account the deI mands of production and sales and ' economics in general, sometimes re- | suits in an unjustifiable waste nf 1 money- and labour on the part of the ’ inventor.

WORLD'S HIGHWAY BILL. 1 ! £6,000,000 IN 1931. One hundred and ten nations wih spend at least £6.000,000 on roads and road construction during 1931. 1 World-wide investigations by the ; United States Chamber of Commerce < disclose 'that in the majority of conn- 1 tries the road building has been stimulated as a measure of unemployment 1 relief, and as a consequence, world highway budgets were larger in 1930 than in 1929, and are expected to be larger than ever before in 1931. The United States leads In the highway construction programme with estimated expenditures to reach £400,000,000 during the year. Many other countries are proportionately increasing their highway budgets to relieve unemployment. From Japan conies the news of a special and additional 4,000,000 yen for 1931 road?; the Canadian expenditures are expected to be Increased by £4,000,000. Mexico Is pushing its great trunk highway system to give Mexico City modern highway connection with Vera Cruz on the Gulf and Laredo and the United States on the North. Argentina in the closing days of 1930 issued a decree calling for bids for the construction of some 800 miles of paved highways with an estimated outlay of £40,000,000 or more. Algeria, the Sudan, Czechoslovakia and Greece all have increased their 1930 budgets. Yugoslavia has a £2.600,000 project on foot for approximately 500 miles. Hungary has an ambitious programme already under way and Bulgaria has doubled its highway budget for the previous year. Italy has a vast Public Works programme employing close to 60,000 men for highway construction. Belgium, Austria and the United Kingdom all have additional plans for the year. In the Philippines £1,200,000 are to be used for highway construction. LIFE OF A CAR. DEPENDS ON THE DRIVING. This is a driving lecture writes Mr W. B. Franklin, Service Manager of General Motors, New Zealand, Limited, and it is prompted by a feeling of sympathy for so many good cars that go to an early grave because some owners who should know better have Insisted upon driving them improperly. The day a new car arrives at the home of an owner it has started on its march to the graveyard for old cars. Whether the car will reach its destination in the course of 20,000 miles of travel or 120,000 miles depends alm'ost entirely on how* the car has been handled. Not long ago I was driven about by the local taxi-drixer of a small town. Noting the good appearance 'Of the car, and knowing that it was In constant service, I took a glance over the shoulder of the driver and found that the car Jiad travelled over 75,000 miles. Having ridden In many cars that have travelled only a fraction of this distance, but which were far from being as quiet and fine In appearance as this one, the thought could nut help but occur—that very few owners are really getting as much out of a car as they should. The rea- ■ son that taxi men get such good ser- ! vice out of their cars is because they | realise that unless they are carefully handled, they are not protecting their investment, and they are not going to ] make money. The car owner should follow the same theory. The first and fore- , most rule is, of course, to always be ■ dead sure that the car is being pro- • perly lubricated. Taxi drivers rarely drive the cars they handle unless ■ they know that the crankcase is not only full of oil, but that the oil is in good condition. These cars are seldom if ever raced. They are driven at moderate speeds, rarely in excess of forty miles per hour in the ; country. It is an actual fact that the wear and tear on cars In this service would normally be much greater than the average owner gives his car, and yet because of careful handling they iast much longer. IMPORTANCE OF AIR. VITAL MOTORING FACTOR. At a casual glance the only point. t of similarity between an automobile • and an airplane Is that both are operated by a petrol-driven engine. : But both are wholly dependent upon air for their operation. Air is just as Important to a car as to a 'plane. Neither could function without it. A car rhles on air cushions; it is propelled by air as well as by fuel, and air materially affects motor car design. 'Undoubtedly -all motorists realise Hie vital function performed by air in propelling an automobile; that, the petrol must be vaporised with air in the carburettor in varying amounts according to driving conditions. But the influence of air on car design is ii'Ot so apparent and has been more o' an engineering problem. Air resistance is Hie heaviest I i\ on car operation. This is due to the fact that air resistance increases bv the square instead of by direct ratio In other words, the air press"’’.■ against the front of an automobile driven at 20 miles an hour is four times greater than at 10 miles :u hour, and at 30 miles per hour it is nine times greater. This squaring of air pressure as car speed increases eventually reaches a point where 1: no longer is economical or advisable to increase the power of an engine i as the major portion of this added : power is required to combat the in- ■ creasing air pressure. The amount of air pressure on an automobile at a fixed speed depends upon the design of the car. The less frontal area of a car, the less air pressure. Also the side and rear lines, which affect the course of the air currents, play an important part in reducing or increasing air resistance. LIKES THE RUN AND THE PEOPLE TOO. That the run to Australia and New Zealand is the best In the world, and Hint the people are the best Io meet from either a binliu'ss or a social point of view is Hip opinion of Captain I’. \. .Jurgcnspn. master of the Ml.intie Union nil Company’s tanker Bruns wick, which left Wellington recently for Melbourne and Sydney. The Brunswick, which was Hie first

ei’rctric.uly-propeiled tanker to he built, has been coming regularly to New Zealand Cor three years now. and Captain Jorgensen lias just resumed command after being absent for li months superintending the construction of two tankers at Greenock. Scotland. When this task was completed. Captain Jorgensen had the choice of taking command of any of the 23 seagoing tankers belonging to the Atlantic Union Oil Company, but, a s he 1 remarked to a reporter, he preferred to come back to his old ship because he liked her. and because he liked the run and the people. The two tankers, the construction of which was supervised by Captain Jorgensen, are the Parmian and the Winkler, the Parmian being a sistership to the Brunswick. Both are elec-trically-propelled, and Captain Jorgensen holds that tankers of this type are a decided success. The Winkler can carry 30 different kinds of lubricating nil without mixing them, and the Parmian is designed for the carriage of crude oil. During Captain Jorgensens absence. Captain Bormann, previously first mate, was in command. After completing his holiday in Norway, Captain Bormann will take command of the Parmian. The Brunswick arrived in Auckland from Los Angeles. MOTOR BREVITIES. There is something besides mere whim in the colour of motor-car tyres to-day. There was a time a few years ago when tyres were of a grayish hue. But it was found that certain chemicals which were black made the treads wear longer, and from that day to this the treads have been jet black, taking their colour from the chemical compound that is used. In purchasing rubber goods it would be well to remember that there is not a rubber expert in the world who would undertake, simply by looking at it, to say whether or not an article of rubber manufacture was of good qualify. The reason for this is that the shoddiest kind of rubber product can be made to look just like a high grade article. A tyre that would blow’ to smithers in 10 miles can be made to look as one that will stand up for 20,000 miles. With all this opportunity for fraud the only safe course for a buyer is to patronize a reliable dealer or to buy goods which bear the trade mark of a responsible manufacturer. An announcement that the results obtained by its research laboratories had saved the motorists of the world over £20,000,000 was made recently by the makers of Royal tyres. It is understood that the savings were estimated on the basis of how many more tyres car owners would have had to buy had not the scientific dlscox> cries of these laboratories brought about the great increases in tyre mileage which they have made possible. The laboratories of this particular company are recognised as one of the great research organisations of industry, and are credited with most of th? achievements in scientific work in th? rubber industry of Hie past decade.