Clayton Dewandre Boosts Output
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Output of Compressors in Clayton Dewandre Factory Increased by Reorganization and Equipping a Separate Assembly Department: Compressors are Run-in After Assembly and Tested
for Efficiency
BECAUSE of the great demand for air-pressure equipmentin buses and lorries, the •Clayton. Dewandre. compressor shop has been equipped and reorganized to build 1,000 units, and it is estimated that this output can be increased. to 1,600 units by the :end Of the year. In addition to building new units the reconditioning service is maintained, and a stcck of overhauled compressors is available to operators not possessing repair facilities on their premises.
Production has been planned to build a range of compressors to suit individual engine and chassis designs, although the various mounting points and lubrication systems complicate any system of line production or complete standardization. The Clayton Dewandre range of compressors, of reciprocating-piston pattern, is produced mainly • in three capacities, standardization being maintained for the pistons, connecting rods, valve gear, oil pumps, bearings and crankshafts. Some models have been designed to be interchangeable with rotary exhausters, so that the chassis builder can supply vehicles with vacuum or compressed-air braking systems Without making extensive modifications.
Tractor-trailer outfits, h ea v y vehicles with air-pressure powerassisted steering gear and buses having power-operated door gear, have caused an increase in the capacity of air reservoirs, and larger compressors have been designed to meet such requirements. The range at present being produced in the Titanic Works at Lincoln includes a single-cylindered unit of 5-cubic-ft. capacity and two-cylindered compressors of 7-, 10and 15-cubic-ft. .capacity. Compressors are rated according to their nominal displacement in cubic feet of free air per minute at 1,000 r.p.m. When 'operated at pressure such as in the chassis or against a reservoir, the volume of air compressed will he less because of the efficiency of the machine. As an example, a 10-cubic-ft. compressor delivering against 80 lb. per square in. pressure gives 7.25 cubic ft. of free air per minute. The maximum. speed of compressors when installed in chassis may be as high as 1,500 r.p.m.
Recent developments in compressor design include an integral aluminium cylinder block and crankcase with spun cast liners, cooling by air or water, and arrangements for vertical, inclined, or horizontal mounting. The same care is used in running-in compressors as is taken with an engine, and the Clayton Dewandre assembly section has benches for motoring and testing oil pumps and compressors. The compressors are first run for fixed periods at varying. speeds with the heads removed, and after completion are tested for the period_ taken to build up pressure to 40, 80 and 100 lb. per square in., and checked at 650, 1,000 and 1,500 r.p.m. The oil pumps are tested separately and set to the correct working pressure.
it is recommended that in reconditioning compressors, a new standard ring should be fitted where the liners have worn up to 0,005 in., and above this the liner . should be rebored. There are two standards of pistons and rings available for fitting rebored liners, 0.010 in. and 0.020 in. ,oversize,