THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. MOTORING SUPPLEMENT. SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 1926.
CAN GO ANYWHERE
THIS AUTOICAN GO ANY PLACE A HORSE GOES. "IT'S A NEW
CAVALRY UNIT,/
The Ordnance Department of the United Statos army has four special automobiles that can do anything but olimb trees,
"A demonstration car recently ran up and down the steps of the Stato War and Navy building to show its possibilities.
They can travel over all sorts The new car is stripped of all of ground, over ploughed or rocky extra weight, oven the two roar flolds and across a stretch of soft seats being removable for carry- desert. They are, in fact, motoriz. ing ammunition and supplies: ed horses.
It took seven years of ox-
That's their purpose. They're parimenting to decide on this type of car, The view was not designed to take ammunition, to only to get a car that would cavalry units at places where no cover the sama ground a horse other vehicles could go.
could, but to make the vehicle of
Those cars are robuilt Fords standard parts already on the with balloon tires and an auxili- auto market,
ary gear sot affording six spoeds As a result, this car can be forward and two in reverso. put into production by auto These speeds, it is said, make the factories" within a week after car more oflcient than the old war is declared, say. Ordnance caterpillar variety.
"officials..
MAGNETIC CLUTCHES.
WIDE FIELD OF
USEFULNESS.
Magnetic clutohes and brakes have an exceedingly wide field of usefulness. It is not an unlimited fold, but it does include most of those cases in which mechanical clutches have been employed, and in many instances magnétic olutches are replacing others on account of the greater con- venience of control. Ond out- standing advantage ,is that magnetic clutches. CAN bo controlled from remote positions Another is the smoothness of engagement due entirely to the fact that their action is independent of contrifugal force.
The magnetic clutch consists of two members the field or driving member,, which carries
the magnetised winding, and the armature,which carries the driven member. These members aro carried on the outer circumferences of a pair of annular spring stool plates which are attached, at their innor circumforances, one to the driving hub and the other to the driven hub. Normally, the two members are hold out of contact, but when the current is applied to the winding of the field monber they are magnetleally drawn together, the flexibility of the spring steel platos allowing the necessary movement" to tako place. The power is then transmitted entirely by the frictional engagement between the two members. A friction mombor is fitted to the field member so as to prevent actual metal-to-motal contact between the armature and the field parts. This lining is on the outor circumference of the clutcli and is carried by an adjustable
friction ring. The lining material has a high coefficient of friction. As a result the clutch can be used for accelerating at frequent intervals, and the ongagement will be found to be as gradual as that secured by the majority of mechanical clutches, to
These magnetic clutchos.can also be operated in combination with magnetically released band brakes. In this construction the hub carrying the arinature nem bor of the clutch also carries the brake wheel, which is encircled by a band lined with a friction material considting of woven asbeston and brass wire. This friction band is designed to be released by means of a solenoid connected in parallel with the windings of the clutch, and to bo applied by means of a weight on the end of the brake lover. When the magnetising winding of the olutch is de-energised by the tripping of one of the safety
switches, that of the brake solenoid is also de-energised and the brake thus applied. Tha driving power le cut off and the brake, instantly applied, so that the equipment is brought to rest in a period of time which will prevent injury to workmen.
Hitherto magnetic clutches have been most widely used in rubber mills, for the reason that in the rubber industry there is largo demand for hanvy clutchos, susceptible of remote control, Their, use has, however, extended to a number of other industries, and it is interesting to note that recently 140 magnetle. clutches- woro installed at a match-making works.
For taxation purposes the U. S. Board of Tax Appeals has decided that the depreciation of a car shall be reckoned at the rate of 25 por cent, per annum.
BUS GAINS WORLD.
RECOGNITION
The motor bua has now, gained world recognition. According to latent connus figures of the Was- hington Commerce department, there are now 181.570 buses. operating in the world. There to 80,000 in the alt Statem and 76,000 in Europe.
TOURING COSTS.
With the tourist season beginn- ing to get under way in Amorios, accommodations are being mader to take care of tourists. It is estimated that last year motoriste. spent a grand total of up- proximately $1,025,000,000 for equipment and maintenance.
BEAUTY COMFORT
Ford
RANDOM NOTES OF THE MOTORING WORLD.
New Zealand possessed, at the In the opinion of many Ameri- beginning of this year, nearly can civic authoritics who have “82,000 passenger cars, the majority adopted systems of street signal- of which are of American origin.ling lamps, the number of accid- ents has been reduced materially since the introduction of such ar- rangements.
New
1.
thoroughfares, totalling more than 29,000 miles are plannedį
for construction this year in the
That 10,18+British cars and
United States. Maintenance of chassis were imported into Aus- 234,000 additional miles of roads tralia during 1925, as compared is alan being undertaken..
|with 2,001 during 1923, is a matter which reflects considerable credit, Hardwood sales to automobile lupon the activities of the British. manufacturers in America have manufacturers concerned."
been increasing considerably re-
cently, and 1926 is expected to American statisicians state that
be the best year in the history moter-cars are estimated to be
of the trade. White ash proves to cheaper than any other manufac-] be in greatest demand.
tured product, with the exception
of agricultural implements. Motor-
car's sell there for about 28. per
It has been decided to legalizeib, which is cheaper thar butter.
in the United States yellow rear The more popular cars in Britain lights for cars in place. of the sell at much the same rate. customary red-coloured ones. This
ia to enable car rear lamps Lo be An American motor journal sug- easily distinguished from redigests that the colour descriptiona on level-crossings and other road applied to. cara, for registration obstructions.
purposes are often inaccurate or vague. "A" plea is further advanced Despite various rumours con- for the use of simple adjectives cerning the possible restriction of such "as "dark" "brilliant," or petrol supplies in view of the qual"light," in place of the ambiguous stoppage at Home, it is announeed terms, sometimes employed. by one of the principal fuel dis-
tributing firms that there would be From the anuual survey of the no justification for such rationing, automobile industry issued by the as ample quantities of petrol are National Automobile Chamber of available.
Commerce, New York, it appears that during the year 1925, the num- At a conference of Local Govern-ber of motor vehicles produced in ment Engineerg held at Sydney the United States and Canada was (N.S.W.) several speakers indicat-4.338,754. valued (with parts add- ed that all-concrete roads will sooned) at $4,210,174,963.
The num be adopted on a wide scale inber of vehicles, exported was Australia. Mr. Walker (the Under 536,741, or 12% per cent. of the Secretary for Local Government) whole. said that if the money could be obtained they would have con- crete roads all over the State.
..
A director of the U.S.A. National Automobile Chamber of Commerce (Mr. H. H: Rice) points out that foreign trade at one time Considerable attention has been largely
sideline with many
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was
paid by the Egpytian Government American factories, but not an during the past year or so to the outstanding feature of any bust- development of good roads in the mess. Now, however, in the auto- country A-network of first-class-mobile-industry-12-per-cent-of-the- ronds has been planned to connect production of the factories is ship- the important towns of the Nile ped abroad, and the expectation Delta and to extend along both is that this percentage will rapid- sides-of-the-river-from Cairo-to-the-ly-increnser villages of Upper Egypt and west- ward to Fayum.
Many mechanisms at present impracticable would become com- An epicyclic gear affording four (mercial possibilities were more forward speeds. and a reverse has suitable materials available -for- been designed by Mr. J. A. Fur-their construction. The announce- ness, of Bromley, Kent, and is in ment that a new steel has been course-of-construction.We have evolved-by Hadfields: Ld., the examined a model of this device famous Sheffield atcel-making con- says a Home paper, which is suf- cern, is therefore of particular ficiently complete to show that interest; the properties claimed. novel adaptation of the epicycle for the alloy are such that it would principle is employed, with the re-appear particularly suitable for sult that only 12 gearwheels are the long-desired internal-combus- required for the four forward tion turbine. It is stated that the speeds and reverse. Furthermore, new steel has been successfully mo internal toothed ring gears are employed for the internal parts of used. The Inventor, states that a gas turbine running at a very threo forward speeds and reverse high speed and at a temperature "could be obtained using only 10 of 1,700 degrees F. Oxidization geurwheels. The devies has the and erosion would soon destroy advantage of affording a direct an ordinary steel in these circum- topgear drive.
stances.
Your Choice of Colours
In Ford Touring Car
THE TOURING CAR
Delivered in Kowloon
H.K.$965.00.
SELF-STARTER
H.K.$125.00 Extra
New color schemes add to the attractiveness of the Improved Ford Touring Car. You are offered a choice of carmine lake, tartan green and moleskin deep grey. An artistic harmony is created by the use of new and improved upholstery. The brightly nickeled head lamps and radiator rims give the car a smartly
finished appearance.
ایم
ANDREW HARPER
Chatham Road, Hunghom, Kowloon, 6 Queen's Road, Central HONGKONG.
Telephone: C. 4895 and K. 1216
Ford Motor Company
Detroit, U.S.A
CONVENIENCE UTILITY