MOTORING NOTES.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 16, 2 July 1920, Page 14

MOTORING NOTES.

SUBSTITUTES FOR PETj 0l During the world war th0 ~ . distilled a petrol substitute from ^ straw. The Greeks ran their motoT^ a liquid distilled from trees. In g ,°l motors were operated on fish oil. T ' k ' moved motor trucks on mustard oil l the Germans nsed a petrol substitute?! known, but which has a sickly, SWeet°. odour. ' SxYLE OF SLOUGH MOTOR DLPQT The British Ministry of Mumtions aj. ! nounces that the motor transport reo ' dep>t at Cippenham, Slough, has been U for £3,350,000. The depot has cost U Government £2,500,000 so that the ni. tion realises a profit of £850,000 on the transaetion. The purchasers of the depot also acquire the whole of the motor transpoi c and spare parts remaining unsold for a minimum sum of £3,650,000 this amount to be increased proportionately according to the sale price realised by the buyers on the resaJe of the vehicles. The tatai amcunt so far realised, including the abovj sum of £3,650,000, for the sale of motor transport is £17,650,000, of which £4,500,000 is in respect of vehicles which have been repaired and conditioned $ Slough since the work commenced nicj months ago. ROAD CORRU GATIONS. Dealing with road - corrugations, « ] waves, which are well known drawbacks j to modern road travel, Mr Franci's Wood, in a recently published hook on road construction, briefly reviews the variom theories for them. It is thought hj] some that road waves are due to incorrect rolling when the surface is first laid, but tbe autlior contends that this cannot be so sinee the corrugatidns appear on asphalt, which is rolled, not only length. ! ways, but across and in half circles and ' also in wood pavements, which are not : subjected to rolling of any kind. He is of opinion that road corrugations or j waves, are caused by the action of vehicle j springs, which are compressed in the bl instance by small irregularities on b '■] surface, and suhsequently go on vibratiij t with a periodicity more or less similar, j so that the weight of the vehicle when the j spring compresses has the effect of a blow on the surface. These blows in their turn cause slight depressions, which | gradually develop and prevent the springs coming to rest. This theory is accepted by many well known road experts, and it prcbably represents the correct answer to the puzzle. THE HUMIDfflER. Time and again have erperiments bees made on the value of injecting water- j made on the value of injecting water, vapour into the cylinders of internal com. | bustion engines. It is contended that water vappur with the fuel is split up - inta. its constituent elements, oxygen and . hydrogen, which assist in the comhustiou T of the fuel, and a new humidifier has been | designed for supplying the necessaiy I water vapour. On the dashboard of the I vehicle is carried an adjustible valve, by j means of which the admission of air t" j the engine is regulated. This is connected to the humidifier, which consists j of a metal water tank containing an j arrangerhent of wicks, which act similiar y j to the old-time wick carburetters. Tbe air passes over the upper ends of tkese j wicks, extracting water vapour from them, I and so hecomes saturated with moisto6- j It then passes along a tube which 1 j to the inlet manifold of the engine. Seve j advantages are said to be obtained by'9 - use bf this humidifier, among which are a substanial decrease in the fuel codsibP" I tion, and, by the resulting improved coj bustion, the abolition of carbon ^ePoS' ^ 1 the cylinders. Improvements in the « bility and acceleration are also claim jn engine knocking on hills prevented.