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The purpose of piston rings in an internal-combustion engine is to reduce to a minimum the leakage of gas from and the seepage of oil into the combustion-chamber. Asserting that the widely held idea that the leakage of gas past the piston can be eliminated by the use of good piston-rings is incorrect, the author states three possible paths for such gas-leakage and, after commenting upon them, discusses diagonal and lap joints and the subject of leakage with special reference to them. After considering the design of rings for gas-tightness, the author shows a fortunate mathematical relationship, in connection with the application of uniform radial pressures, regarding the bending-moment stresses. Oil leakage is treated in a similar manner and the conclusion is reached that the properties of the material used are of extreme importance.

The objects of this paper are to (a) set down in convenient form for reference purposes particulars concerning American and British practice in clutch design, (b) compare the advantages and disadvantages of various types of clutch and (c) give some notes on the theory of design without attempting comprehensive treatment of the numerous factors involved. The descriptive portion deals almost entirely with clutches used on passenger cars and trucks, but some of the clutches described are applicable to other automotive uses. The notes on the theory of design apply in general to all automotive clutches. The clutches considered are divided into the four general classes of cone, single-plate, multiple-disc and shoe-or-band types, these being discussed at length and illustrated with drawings. After a consideration of the details of their design and a brief presentation of the subject of clutch brakes, the notes on the theory of clutch design are presented.

About 1917 the heavy ends of the fuel sold as gasoline required such an amount of heat to vaporize them that the expression “crankcase dilution” appeared; now they have increased to a maximum boiling-point of 446 deg. fahr., which has made it necessary to go still farther in the direction of heat application. After a brief consideration of the relative heat-absorption of air and fuel and the time factor in its relation to vaporizing, the author describes experiments with a specially designed manifold for increased vaporization efficiency and presents photographs of the device. With this type of manifold it has been possible to eliminate crankcase oil dilution completely and effect a reduction in carbonization. The lubrication efficiency has been improved, as well as other features that are enumerated.

The paper analyzes and states the factors affecting the power requirements of cars as rubber-tired vehicles of transportation over roads and the factors affecting the amount of power supplied the car as fuel to produce at the road the power required for transportation. Quantitative values are given wherever possible to indicate the present knowledge of the relation between the factors involved, and the text is interspersed with numerous references, tables, charts and diagrams. Among other important factors specifically discussed are mixing and vaporization, charge quantity control, the heat of combustion, gas-pressure, transformation loss and power transmission efficiency. Six appendices contributed by other associates of the Bureau of Standards are included.

The author selects and sets forth some of the main laws and basic considerations influencing carbureter action. A brief defense of the carbureter as a means of supplying fuel to an engine is made, as compared with the fuel-injection method, and conditions in the cylinder, the manifold and the carbureter during normal operation are stated. The relations of throttle positions, manifold vacuum and engine torque are discussed, followed by an exposition of the effect of manifold vacuum upon vaporization. The subject of air-flow in carbureters is treated at some length and the venturi-tube form of air-passage is commented upon in considerable detail. The flow of air through air-valves, fuel-flow and mixture-proportion requirements are given detailed consideration, the last being inclusive of passenger-car, motor-truck, tractor, motorboat and airplane needs. The essentials for obtaining accurate information with regard to carbureter and engine tests are outlined.

The aim of this paper is to stimulate thought on how to accomplish the greatest possible economy in transportation over highways. The fundamental thought is that the expense of highway transportation involves a large number of items that can be grouped into those directly concerned with motor-truck operation and those involving the highway, and that highways and motor vehicles should be adapted mutually so that the greatest economy of transportation will result. Urging that the automotive and the road engineer cooperate in gathering information that will give them a more definite basis upon which to design the truck and the road, the present rapid destruction of roads is discussed and remedial measures suggested. The designing of motor trucks to conserve the roads is treated at some length and a plea for cooperation between the Society and the highway officials is made.

The majority of the reputable truck builders are attempting to build a high-quality product that will operate over a period of years with the minimum of maintenance expense; however, many designers lose sight of the effect of shocks and strains, which is of even greater importance. Stating that a truck is scrapped for some one or a combination of the three reasons of obsolescence of design, wear on vital parts that cannot be replaced economically and failure of parts due to shock loads, fatigue or crystallization, the author comments upon these and then discusses chassis strains under five specific headings, illustrations also being given.

The paper surveys the differences between American and European conditions in the automotive industry and then considers briefly the reasons for them. The governing conditions are stated and their effects are traced. The subjects discussed include motorcycles and small cars, road conditions, car idiosyncracies, selling conditions in Europe, and a comparison of design in general. The differences of practice are stated and commented upon. Six specific points are emphasized in the summary. The author states that the outlook for American cars the world over is seemingly good. In recent American designs, equal compression - volumes are often assured by machining the heads; six-cylinder crankshafts have seven bearings and are finished all over in the circular grinding machine; pressure lubrication is used for all moving parts of the engine; and in all ways the highest practice is aimed at. America is trying to improve the quality without increasing the cost.

The author considers first the materials available for construction, in connection with the S.A.E. standard specifications, and presents a comparison of the different metals with comments thereon. In regard to metallurgical problems the designer's first task is to determine what the various stresses in the parts are and their magnitude; hence, a true appreciation of the terms “shock” and “fatigue” is necessary; a somewhat lengthy explanation of their meaning is given. The construction features of the different parts of the tractor are treated in general, no attempt being made to cover details; comments are presented on front axles, wheels, bearings, cylinders, valves, valve-seats, transmissions and gears. Heat-treating is then considered in some detail, three specific reasons for annealing before machining being given and five which are governing factors in regard to heat-treatment in general.

Before taking up the results of the tests, the author states briefly the provisions of the Nebraska tractor law, the kind of tests conducted and the equipment used. Applications covering 103 different tractors were received during the season; of the 68 that appeared for test, 39 went through without making any changes and 29 made changes. The results of the tests are described and illustrated by charts. The fuel consumption was studied from the three different angles of volumetric displacement, engine speed and the diameter of the cylinders, the tractors being classified accordingly and the results presented in charts which are analyzed. The weaknesses of the tractor as shown by the tests are commented upon at some length with a view to improvement of the product.

It is stated that, in the commercial motor boat field, the boat owner must choose between the various types of internal-combustion engine, broadly speaking there being three forms of such engines available today in small and moderate sizes; (a) the gas engine, (b) the surface-ignition or hot-bulb engine and (c) the Diesel engine. Charts are presented which show certain approximate costs of operation of the three types for various sizes of engine. Fuel and lubricant economy are discussed in connection with the question of the choice between a Diesel and a hot-bulb engine and, in regard to mechanical operation, it is stated that there is little choice between any of the three types under discussion, since all are reliable. For sizes of 100 b. hp. and less, some form of hot-bulb or surface-ignition engine has the field to itself, but for sizes above 100 hp. the Diesel engine shows its superiority.

Stating that it is conceded by engineers that weight reduction is desirable economically but that it is not unusual to find that weight reduction is looked upon as incompatible with reliability and road-holding properties, the author outlines briefly the normal weight-distribution in an automotive vehicle and gives a short analysis of the power required to drive it having in mind the necessity of reducing the absolute friction-loss. The use of aluminum for various parts is debated, especially those in which reliability is distinctly a function of lightness and not of weight such as engine pistons, and the application is made general to cover all parts of an automobile in which the stresses are determined by road shocks and speed. The trend of design in general and recent research in particular are stated to be along the lines of weight reduction without any sacrifice of essentials.

The object of this paper is to point out some of the difficulties of motor-truck maintenance and to suggest lines of improvement. The buyer and user of a motor truck sometimes experiences disappointments due to the lack of coordination between the engineering and sales departments of a truck company. The term “service” is often misunderstood by the purchaser and misrepresented by the salesman, which results in dissatisfied customers. Salesmen should have accurate information on the service policy of their company and on all guarantees which they are authorized to make. After rehearsing many of the difficulties encountered in truck maintenance, the author discusses in some detail the needed improvements in truck design, passing then to details of maintenance practice and methods of handling repairs.

This paper is a collection of notes gathered from investigation of the subject in the literature on the development of internal-combustion engines and memoranda set down during a long series of tests. The paper includes a discussion of the physical and chemical aspects of the subject and sets forth a working theory that has proved of value. Several methods of measuring turbulence are stated. After outlining the history of the subject and giving references, the effect of turbulence on flame propagation is discussed at length and illustrated by diagrams. Two methods of producing turbulence are then copiously illustrated and described, inclusive of seven diagrams showing characteristic turbulence in typical cylinders. Following the description of the methods of measuring turbulence, the effects of turbulence in performance are summarized under 10 specific divisions.

The distinguished author begins with a short account of the principal actions common to all internal-combustion engines and then proceeds to a more detailed account of the experiments that have been made to develop the theory and establish the properties of the flame working fluid of those engines. The divisions of the paper are headed (a) short statement of cylinder actions, (b) the air standard, (c) flame, the actual working fluid, (d) knocking, pinking and detonating, (e) air and exhaust supercompression, (f) residual turbulence, (g) gaseous explosions, (h) flame propagation and recompression, (i) the specific heat of flame, and (j) conclusions. After treating (a) in considerable detail, the author discusses present efficiencies and knowledge in regard to the limits of the thermal efficiency possible in internal-combustion engines under (b), (c), (d) and (e), going into considerable detail and presenting and analyzing numerous diagrams and charts.

The general requirements for ideal carburetion are considered first, as an introduction to what the Packard fuelizer is and how it functions. Since it is difficult to secure uniform distribution with what is termed a wet mixture, this problem is discussed in general terms and it is stated that the fuelizer was evolved only after several different types of exhaust-heated manifold had been tested and found wanting. Detonation is treated at some length, four specific rules being stated that apply to the most desirable mixture temperatures to be maintained, and the source of the ignition spark for the fuelizer is discussed as an important element in the device. Further consideration includes comments upon the comparative merits of the hot-spot and the fuelizer, “hot-spot” being intended to mean any of the exhaust-heated manifold-designs in which the heat is more or less localized.

In addition to using a smaller quantity of fuel per horsepower-hour, the small high-speed internal-combustion engine has other important features of advantage which are stated. The authors outline specifications intended to secure these advantages. The high-speed racing engine designed by the authors, which won the 500-mile race on the Indianapolis Speedway in 1920, is illustrated and described in detail, its distinctive features being commented upon. The automobile should be built to a higher standard for the use of the high-speed engine. The builder should work to a greater degree of precision and, as the working parts of the engine are all light and stressed fairly highly, this necessitates the use of properly heat-treated high-grade materials. Few small cars of this type seem to give satisfaction. The authors look for further developments to counteract this in the near future.

First reviewing the history of the progressive insufficiency of the supply of highly volatile internal-combustion engine fuels and the early efforts made to overcome this by applying heat to produce rapid vaporization, the author gives an outline of the methods already found valuable in offsetting the rising boiling points of engine fuels and states the resulting three-fold problem now confronting the automotive industry. The tendency to subordinate efficient vaporization to the attainment of maximum volumetric efficiency is criticised at some length and the volatility of fuel is discussed in detail, with reference to characteristic distillation, time of evaporation and distillation-temperature curves which are analyzed. Heating devices are then divided into four classes and described, consideration then being given to fuel losses outside the engine.

Engine lubrication troubles resulting from the dilution of the lubricating oil in engine crankcases appear with increasing frequency, particularly where economy demands the use of cheap grades of fuel. Unless a lubricant not miscible with present engine fuels can be produced, lubricants will steadily decrease in viscosity whenever fuel finds its way into them. The most satisfactory remedy is to prevent dilution of the oil. To prevent absorption of the fuel by the oil is a problem of engine design. In experiments made by the Bureau of Standards the absorption of fuel vapors at average engine temperatures was found to be negligible; further experiments and oil tests showed no indication of dilution due to cracking, with representative refiners' products from typical crude oils available in this country.

The two broad divisions of aluminum pistons from a thermal standpoint are those designed to conduct the heat from the head into the skirt and thence into the cylinder walls, and those designed to partly insulate the skirt from the heat of the piston head. Pistons of the first type seem logical for heavy-duty engines; those of the second type are better suited for passenger-car engines. The objections of wear, piston slap, excessive oil consumption and crankcase dilution are stated as being the same for aluminum as for cast-iron pistons; and these statements are amplified. Piston slap is next considered and, as this can be overcome by using proper clearance, pistons of the second design tend to make this condition easier to meet. Many tests show that when too much oil is thrown into the cylinder bores, tight-fitting pistons and special rings will not completely overcome excessive oil consumption.