BEHIND AND IN FRONT OF THE WHEEL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 128, 22 January 1932, Page 2

BEHIND AND IN FRONT OF THE WHEEL

CONTROL OF CLUTCH

NEW INYENTION WHICH WILL SIMPLIFY DfliYING. UNIVERSAL FEATURE The left foo.t of the motorist is now ioomed to join the «ranks of the unsmployed, if we may credit a predic|ion pubfished in the Cleveland News. A despatch from South Bend, Indiana, deseribes in detail a new deyice known as the "clutch control." This, it is claimed, will eventually be as universal a feature in motor ears as the self-starter and four-wheel brakes. It will enable drivers to go through traffic , starting, stopping, shifting gears without the necessity of touching the clutch. As described in the News: — Instead of using the left foot to en_ gage and disengag:e the clutch, the driver of any motor vehicle equipped With clutch conttol operates the clutch piechanism ent'irely with the accelefator. When the foot is lifted from the accelerator, the clutch is disengaged, gears can be shifted, and the clutch is again engaged the moment the driver presses down on the accelerator. The left foot need never move from the floor. Clutch control is said to be operated on the vacuum principle of pedal manipulation. This new device is the result of some three years' experimentation by the engineers of the Bendix Aviation Corporation of South Bend, where the new device is now being manufacturer. Thie Nfews adds these details-r- of arresting' interest to all motorists: — Clutch control can be installed on any automobile, truck, or bus that is accelerated with a foot throttle. Waste power from the intake manifold is utilised to create a vacuum, which is the basic principle behind the clutch control. The vacuum is created the moment the engine reaehes idling speed — the gap between closed throttle position and the point where the foot accelerator starts down — and is maintained as long as the motor is A. Z

Vacuum Cylinder^ A vacuum cylinder is connected by a metal tube through a valve to the intake manifold, and a piston in the vacuum cylinder is connected to the clutch pedal by a cable. When the vacuum is "on," it draws the piston and pulls the pedal down, disengaging the clutch. When the vacuum is "off," the piston returns, and the clutch automatically with perfect timing far more smoothly than can be accomplished by the most expert drivers. The vacuum is turned "on" or "off" by the valve in the vacuum line between the vacuum cylinder and manifold. This valve responds only to an up and down movement of the accelerator to which it is connected by a short came. It is expected that clutch control will prove particularly popular with women drivers, because it eliminates the fatigue attendant on constant pushing on the clutch pedal, we are told. Moreover: uon^er clutch life should result. because the clutch is operated mechanically and smoothly, thereby eliminating the driver's tendency to 'ride" the clutch pedal. Also, it is poihted out, clutch control should overcome the timid driver's inherent fear of shifting gears in trafRc because the timing is mechanically exact. Coupled with these features is the fact that clutch control provides all advantages of free Vheeling. With clutch control, the driver merely lifts his foot from the accelator and the vehicle coasts with a minimum- fue". consumption and wear on parts. Furthermore, clutch control operates in all speeds, forward and reverse.