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Motor Vehicles and Smog
THE control of air pollution was the subject of the I James Clayton paper read last Friday before the Institution of Mechanical Engineers by Mr. F. S. Mallette, M.A.S.M.E. Although it ran to considerable length it was very interesting to note that little blame for the trouble was laid at the door of petrolengined vehicles, whilst oil engines were practically exonerated. In fact, reference was made to the reduction in pollution, particularly by sulphur and its compounds, which was occurring as a result of employing more oil engines in works and, especially in America, on railway engines, Of course, it cannot be denied that motor vehicles must add to the pollution, but it appears that other -sources have a vastly greater effect. For example, in the city of New York, which has an area of about 300 sq. miles, there are some 128,000 lorries, 115.000 taxis and 1,250,000 cars, whilst buses traverse 5,700 miles of the roads_ The cars consume annually 1,100m. gallons of petrol and the buses 20m. gallons of petrol and oil fuel, but the city also uses 10m. tons of coal, Tostly bituminous, whilst private incinerators, serving about 15 per cent. of the city's population, burn 8,000 tons of refuse a week and produce enormous quantities of smoke and fumes.
The liquid fuel amounts to a little over 6m. tons, but the burning of this in a motor engine is far more complete and the smog effect proportionately reduced.
Unusual Wear in Wheel Bearings
A CURIOUS form of wear is sometimes found in " ball and roller bearings employed for the wheels of vehicles incorporating power take-offs or separate power plants. According to British Timken, Ltd., where these vehicles may stand idle for long periods while vibration is occurring, fretting corrosion may be set up at the points of contact between the balls or rollers and the outer rings. This results from the small relative movement of the contacting surfaces, giving high concentration of wear. The products of this wear immediately form hard iron oxides which are specially abrasive and accelerate the trouble. The oxides have the colour of cocoa and form a clear indication of the bad effect.
A certain cure is temporarily to remove the wheels and hubs, but where the stationary periods are of shorter duration, the axles can be jacked up and the wheels turned by hand reasonably frequently.
A similar effect, possibly due to a combination of pressure and electrolytic action, can sometimes be found in the wheel bearings of vehicles which have been idle for a long time without the precaution of jacking up being taken. Even if this has been done the wheels should be spun at reasonable intervals.
This relieves the constant pressure on particular spots and helps to spread the lubricant, most of which may have been squeezed from the contacting surfaces. Rotation of a rear wheel while holding the other will help the bearings of the axle, propeller shaft and gearbox.
Carrying Guinness for 100 Years
AMONGST the best known haulage contractors in
the industry are Thomas Allen, Ltd., of Wapping, and last week they were celebrating their centenary. This was marked by the production of a fine book, well illustrated and on art paper, which gives the history of the company, also by " family " celebrations at which the managing director, Mr. B. G. Turner, M.Inst.T., presided.
The founder was Thomas Allen, who started a cartage business and leased stables from James Hartley and Co., agents for the British and Irish Steam Packet Co., Ltd., and London managers for Arthur Guinness, Son and Co.4Ltd., the famous brewers. A remarkable record is that, ever since that time, Thomas Allen, Ltd., have been delivering, in the London area, the whole of the Guinness products, and for the same period have been cartage contractors to the shipping company mentioned and the City of Cork Steam Packet Co., Ltd. The company suffered certain vicissitudes, however, and were purchased first by William Turner, who was with the Hartley concern, and later by Coast Lines, Ltd., the present owners. Since then various subsidiaries have been acquired.
Until 1920, horsed vans and steam wagons of Tasker, Foden, Sentinel and Atkinson make formed the bulk of the fleet, but by 1923, no further steam wagons were ordered, and a large number of petroland oil-engined vehicles, including many tankers, is now in service.
One of the features of the centenary book consists of four pages carrying the names of nearly 300 customers of the company. Many of these arc amongst the most important British concerns.
Wives and Accidents
'MANY years ago, insurance statisticians connected IT1 with the American Fidelity and Casualty Co., Richmond, Virginia, observed that most accidents occurred during the first hour of a driver's run. Safety experts often traced the cause to the bad mood of the driver's wife at the breakfast table.
Periodically, to this day, letters are sent to the wives giving them hints on how to send their husbands off to work in a frame of mind that will assist them to reach their destinations safe and sound. Four rules are emphasized: "Give him a hearty breakfast; keep the kids out of his hair; save domestic arguments until he comes home at night; send him off with a cheerful smile."
No research appears to have been made into the effect of driver-mother-in-law relations.