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The author first points out how increasing population and rising standards of living have increased the demand for foodstuffs and how such industrial activities as are brought about by the present conflict magnify the seriousness of the food problem, not only by withdrawing workers from the farms, but also by increasing food consumption on the part of those engaged in the speeded-up industries in order to supply the increased human energy required. The author then passes to a discussion of the tractor as a means for increasing the food supply by taking the place of withdrawn labor and cheapening production. Several charts show the effect of increased individual activity on food consumption, the relation of food consumption to standards of living and the growth of population, the variation of food demand during political activities during the past century, and the relation of the cost per calorie of various cereals.

After noting that the early development of the automobile industry took place at a time when gasoline was a drug on the market, this paper reviews the cycle of operations of a standard gasoline engine in order to point out its limitations and the possibilities of utilizing a less volatile fuel than gasoline and of securing lower consumptions of fuels of all kinds. Compression and expansion limitations and the reduction of mean effective pressures at light loads are considered. Disadvantages of throttling control are pointed out, citing as a parallel example the trend of steam engine design away from this means of control. The author then outlines the advantageous features of the improved Diesel engine design, and by means of curves shows the great fuel economy of this type as compared with gasoline engines. He concludes by defining “the ideal tractor engine.”

The question as to whether a part should be made or bought is one that must be settled by the individual maker according to the value of his product, the nature of the part, his capital available for manufacturing purposes and the price at which his product is sold. The author describes the practice followed by some of the large companies, showing that in spite of their being quantity producers, they have found it desirable to buy a number of important parts. Certain parts are rarely made by automobile manufacturers, either because they can be bought more cheaply or because the machinery to produce them is intricate. The author sums up the problem by stating that a manufacturer makes the unit on account of not getting deliveries or because he does not get a fair price from the parts maker or an article good enough to satisfy his conditions. In order to give individuality to the product, the car maker often produces certain parts, such as the engine, himself.

Predictable and unpredictable forces will change the direction of the charge-air systems industry. The driver of diesel engine development will be the stringent emissions regulations of the 1990s. The drivers in the gasoline engine market will be improved fuel economy, performance, durability and emissions. Forces will also influence the charge-air marketplace, including changes in emission standards, national fiscal policies, political issues, fuel prices, alternate fuels and consumer tastes. The world community mandate for engines that are clean, quiet, durable and fuel efficient will be satisfied, increasingly, by first-tier component suppliers developing integrated systems solutions.

There is a strong interest around the world in natural gas as an alternative fuel. This paper is concerned with the option of converting diesel engines to spark ignition operation. Although this may appear to be an outrageous thermodynamic action, it is preferable to using natural gas in a low compression gasoline engine conversion. An investigation is described in which engine maps were produced for a 5.6 litre direct injection diesel engine converted to CNG. The diesel operating characteristics have been compared with those of the spark ignition conversion at compression ratios of 18:1 (the original diesel value), 15:1 and 13:1. Detailed data are presented for the 15:1 compression ratio. These test results are supplemented by results for other diesel conversions. The use of these engines in bus fleet operations is also discussed.

For the purpose of satisfying today's market demands, new 8 and 11 liter diesel engines, named "STORM" series, have been developed and moved into production in 1986. Based on the predecessors which have been produced since 1975, the development of the STORM series aimed high performance, low emission, long life-time and low operating costs. In order to consult customers' convenience, exchangeability of engine parts and commonality of vehicle installations with the former engines had to be maintained. This paper describes the development work of STORM engines, and the design aspects and performance characteristics of these engines.