MONTHS OF RESEARCH.

Shannon News, 5 April 1927, Page 3

MONTHS OF RESEARCH.

MAJOR SEGRAVE'S TEST. WIDE KNOWLEDGE GAINED. LONDON, March 30. The breaking of records was net the sole purpose of Major Segrave's test at I»aytoua Sands (where he reached 203.8 miles an hour). It is hoped that data affecting every branch of the motor industry will be obtained, while aeronautical research will benefit from more exact knowledge of the behaviour of fast moving bodies on land. Many different alloys of steel have been prepared and are used in this car's construction and the knowledge of their performances under great strains will be of practical value to metallurgy. Months of research too, have been spent on the tyres alone, and their behaviour under strain will be closely studied. Preparatory te building the car aerot'.tatisticians were for many weeks engaged in calculating the wind and ground reactions against the machines at a 3peed of 200 miles per hour, and extraordinary methods had to be adopted owing to tho purely theoretical na'ture of the experiments. Most of the experiments with an actual car were Icarried out by Messrs Vickers' aeronautical laboratory at Welbridge, iwhere several models were made and tested in wind funnels.

Major Segrave has cabled to the Sunbeam factory l ,: —"The engines and :tyres are perfect, I think I can achieve 220 miles an hour, but it will be necessary to redesign small items beforehand."

Mra Segrave ihjfci been inundated with congratulations ,but she declared .that she did not care whether he broke the record or not, as leng as he returned safe.