A Light-Alloy Floor
Page 56
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A HARD-WEARING aluminiumfn. alloy floor intended chiefly for vehicles is disclosed in patent No. 764,471. (The British Aluminium Co., Ltd., • Salisbury House, London Wall, E.C.2.) In such work it is usual to find that the total width of floor demands so many plank units and a fraction, which can result in untidy gaps between the planks. The scheme shown overcomes this difficulty.
The assembly comprises main planks (1) having support feet at three points. Connector strips (2) unite adjoining planks and form the bolting-down points. Minor variations in width can he corrected by leaving a gap between the two members at the point (3); this will give extra width without creating a crevice.
For a major width adjustment, a third unit is provided; this is a make-up strip (4) which is situated Where the floor meets the sides of the body, and can be 7 cut to a lesser width if necessary.
VALVE FOR TUBELESS TYRES
DECALYSE tubeless tyres are not yet I-, universally used, it is desirable to make the inflation valve removable in ease a tube has to be fitted away from base. A valve designed for this purpose is shown in patent No. 763,553. (B. F. Goodrich Company, 230 Park Avenue, New York, U.S.A.) Thu drawing shows an exploded view of the assembly in which a plate (1) goes inside the tyre and a soft rubberlike washer (2) fits the slot in the Ain. A plate (3) squeezes the rubber into the slot and so forms a seal. The valve itself (4) is bolted to this plate and a pair of clips (5) retain the assembly.
REFUSE TRIMMING BY GRAVITY
• THERE are many ways of packing I refuse in a vehicle body and patent No. 764,304 (Shelvoke and Drewry, Ltd., leknield Way. Letchworth, Herts) shows a method of doing it by gravity by tipping the body into the vertical position whenever a bin is emptied. The drawing shows the various possible positions of the body. Refuse 8
is collected in bins (I), each of which is wheeled to the rear of the body where it is lifted by a powered hoist until its top enters a filling opening (2). This is normally kept closed by a pair of spring-loaded flaps which are forced open by the arrival of the bin.
When the bin is in place, a hydraulic ram (3) is operated; this tips the whole body into the vertical positicin as shown at 4. This action not only empties the bin but also packs the load at the front end. When the body is brought down again the bin is returned to its original position on the trolley.
To empty the body it
7447I can be tipped towards the rear about pivot 5; during this operation the subframe, complete with the bearing brackets (6), moves with the body.
A DOUBLE-ACTING FUEL PUMP I NTENDED mainly for supplying an injection pump with its fuel, a doubleacting diaphragm pump is ,shown in patent No. 763,846. (Simms Motor Units, Ltd., and Z. Miracki, both of Oak Lane, East Finchley, London, N.2.)
_ The pump is reciprocated by an eccentrie (1) driven •by the engine. The eccentric actuates a sliding tappet (2), the return stroke being performed by a spring in the tappet.
Two pump chambers are provided, separated by wall 3, and each containing a flexible diaphragm. Inlet and delivery valves of conventional type are
provided to each chamber. As one chamber delivers while the other is filling, the pump gives two . working strokes per revolution of the eccentric.
The patent also covers the use of the two outer .chambers (4 and '5) as well as the inner ones.
A 'NOVEL BRAKE DRUM
A COMPOSITE brake-drum design, lending itself to easy and fast production, is shown in patent No. 764,282 (Kelsey Hayes Wheel Company, 3600 Military Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.), It conmrises two steel pressings -united by being cast together with iron. In the section shown, the two pressed steel parts are the outer ring (1) and the hub flange (2). .These are held in position in a centrifugal casting machine and molten cast-iron is then run in. This not only unites the two parts by fusion but also provides the wearing surface 3. The iron layer can be cast quite thinly so as to call for the minimum of machining.
The -hub portion has numerous holes punched in it; these help to key. the cast-iron liner in place as indicated at 4.
-INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION
EINATENT No. 763,883 shows a design I for an independent suspension syStem employing torsion bars and having a minimum of • wearing parts. (Ford Motor Co., Ltd., London, W.1.)
Referring to the drawing, each wheel is driVen by its own axle having a universal joint fitted at point 1. The wheel hub has rigidly attached to it a rod (2) which extends angularly forwards and terminates in a ball-joint (3) on a cross-member. Another rod (4) runs longitudinally and is firmly held in a block( 5) to which the torsion bar (6) is fixed. The other end of the torsion bar is held in an anchorage very close to the ball-joint 3. The bar is journaled in a bracket fixed to the frame at point 7.
Deflections of the wheel occur about the axis of the torsion bar and as this crosses the axle very close to the universal-joint centre, geometrical errors are negligible.