Chassis

“ About the best we had done in stationary chassis assembling was an average of twelve hours and twenty-eight minutes per chassis. We tried the experiment of drawing the chassis with a rope and windlass down a line two hundred fifty feet long. Six assemblers traveled with the chassis and picked up the parts from piles placed along the line. This rough experiment reduced the time to five hours fifty minutes per chassis. In the early part of 1914 we elevated the assembly line. We had adopted the policy of "man-high" work ”

“ The chassis, or frame, which supports the body, consists of two pieces of 3⁄16-inch basswood 8 inches long and 1⁄2 inch wide, with a 1⁄4-inch hole drilled 1⁄4 inch from each end. The floor of the auto, on which the body rests, is 1⁄8-inch basswood 6 × 31⁄2 inches, and it binds the whole machine together, giving it strength and rigidity, but it must not be fastened in place until the structure is ready for assembling. ”

“ The net result of the application of these principles is the reduction of the necessity for thought on the part of the worker and the reduction of his movements to a minimum. He does as nearly as possible only one thing with only one movement. The assembling of the chassis is, from the point of view of the non-mechanical mind, our most interesting and perhaps best known operation, and at one time it was an exceedingly important operation. ”

“ At the start of the track a front axle unit, a rear axle unit and a frame unit are assembled. This assembly is then started in motion by means of a chain conveyor, and as it moves down the room at a constant speed of eight feet per minute, each man adds one part to the growing chassis or does one operation, which is assigned to him, so that when the chassis reaches the end of the line, it is ready to run on its own power. ”

“ Besides these factory shipments there are more than 300 loaded freight cars in transit each day from branch factories.
The bodies are shipped separate from the chassis, being stood on end in one-half of the car and protected from dust by coverings.
The chassis are put in the other end of the car, the first one being carried in, minus the wheels, and placed in a diagonal position. Brackets of cast iron, for holding the axle to the floor, are made in the foundry. The front axle rests on the floor, and the rear axle rests against the opposite wall near the top of the car. ”

“ To form the complete vehicle, what is wanted at such times is not necessarily a luxuriously-equipped conveyance, but is rather a quite light and simple body sensibly constructed to bear its load, and capable of standing any amount of jolting without either its component parts shaking loose among themselves, or the body as a whole becoming insecure in its connections with the chassis. ”

“ It consists simply of two rails 3 in. apart, and joined by four transoms and assembling-bolts. Hurters on the rear ends of the rails only are used, as the bottom projection of the front transom prevents the carriage running too far into battery. The front end of the chassis rests on the sole of the embrasure. The end is provided with a pintle-plate and a strap of half-in. iron through which the pintle passes to the masonry beneath. The rear of the chassis is supported by an iron prop, the lower end of which is attached to two traverse-wheels. ”

“ The ends are bent back parallel to align with the frame member. The apices of the V chassis members are soldered to the short axle carrying the back wheel, the axle being cut a length suitable to the hub of the wheel. No. 20 gauge wire is used for all portions of the rear chassis. Fig. 156 makes this clear.
Fig. 157 shows the joint of the trailing central inter-struts to the top longeron. It will be seen that the joint is a halved one, pinning and binding forming the security.
All woodwork may be polished by filling the grain with gold size, and finishing with a good varnish. ”

“ In the full-floating design of axle, the axle shaft does not support any of the weight of the car or load, but serves simply as a member to transmit the power rotation to the wheels. The wheels are mounted on separate bearings, which operate on the outside of the outer end of the housing. The inner ends of the axle shafts are squared, or splined and slide into slots or seats in the differential gears. The differential assembly is in a separate unit, and is floated on bearings held by retainers extending from the forward end of the large ball-shaped center of the housing. ”

“ The axle of the cylinder on which the needles are fixed, is mounted in a movable frame or carriage, in order that the points of the needles may, in the first instance, be brought to act upon the ends of the wool only, and ultimately be so advanced as to enable the whole length of the fibres to be drawn through. The progressive advancement of this carriage, with the needle cylinder, is effected by the agency of the endless screw on the lateral shaft before mentioned. ”

“ The wheels of such a truck turn freely on the axle stubs of a dead axle.
Objections to Chains.—Few pleasure cars are now equipped in this manner, as the shaft drive is more desirable for several reasons: The use of chains is always objectionable, as the efficiency decreases with wear quicker than the shaft drive, and requires the jackshaft, sprocket chains and sprocket wheels, besides the noise and excessive wear, by stretching of chains, which are always inherent in the use of chains. ”

“ Dimensions of Keys.
V. SHAFTING.
Shafting is nearly always cylindrical and made of wrought iron or steel. Cast iron is rarely used for shafting.
Axles are shafts which are subjected to bending without twisting.
The parts of a shaft or axle which rest upon the bearings or supports are called journals, pivots, or collars.
In journals the supporting pressure is at right angles to the axis of the shaft, while in pivots and collars the pressure is parallel to that axis.
Shafts may be solid or hollow. Hollow shafts are stronger than solid shafts for the same weight of material. ”

“ But, if it has to be supplied to a place still more high, a double iron chain, which will reach the surface when let down, is passed round the axle of the same wheel, with bronze buckets attached to it, each holding about six pints. The turning of the wheel, winding the chain round the axle, will carry the buckets to the top, and as they pass above the axle they must tip over and deliver into the reservoir what they have carried up. ”

“ Fig. 119. A spiral wheel: six cases on a horizontal wheel; lances arranged in a spiral, on cane, or hooping.
Fig. 120. A true-lover's-knot: six 6⁄8 wheel cases, playing in pairs; three saxons, one carrying a blue; one, a green; one, a crimson colour. Light at a; this leader blows across, and lights the opposite starting case. The tail of this case lights the saxons: the ends of the saxons at c, c, c, before enveloping them, are to be smeared with meal; the end, b, is also to be smeared with wetted meal, to insure the ignition of the leader. ”

“ So far as driving is concerned the automobilist has only to remember with regard to the fixed hind axle that the axle should be kept well oiled, and that careful examination should frequently be given to all nuts and pins.
The Differential Gear.—The live hind axle used in so many of the more recent forms of light car is a very different thing, and needs more attention, as part of its structure is the differential gear. ”

“ Proper proportions, low wheels, chain-gearing, treadles, pedals and cranks, cushion and pneumatic tires, drop frames, steel spokes like a spider’s web, ball-bearings for the crank and axle parts, a spring-supported cushioned seat which could be raised or lowered, adjustable handles, and the clearest-brained scientific mechanics to construct all parts from the best materials and with mathematical exactness—all this has been done. ”

“ They shew, and mark with the same letters, the cross bar a b, the inside of the screws, and the circular plates o p, together with the circular conducting plate of which q q, fig. 1, is the section. Fig. 3 shews the fixed wheel m n, the two screw-wheels i k, the cross piece a b, and under them the plates o p of the 1st. and 2d. figure.
One other object claims our attention: The threads of the screws (whether more or less numerous) should each be furnished with a valve at bottom: that the water may not run out when the Machine ceases working. ”

“ In Fig. 620, a represents the bearing of the feed screw of the lathe, and b b a sleeve, a sliding fit upon a, prevented from revolving by the pin h, while still having liberty to move endways. c represents a casing affording journal bearing to b b, having a fixed gear-wheel at its end c′, and an external thread upon a hub at that end. d is the flange of c to fasten the device to the shears of the latter, being held by screws. ”

“ If they are blunt, burred or chipped, smooth them off on an emery wheel or with a coarse file. Wash out the case with kerosene and fill with a thick transmission oil or grease until the fartherest up meshing point is covered to the depth of from 1 to 11⁄2 inches. Examine the slots or notches on the horizontal sliding shafts in the cover of the case which holds the gears in or out of mesh. If the slots are badly worn it will be necessary to replace sliding shafts or it may be necessary to replace the springs which hold the ball or pin to the shaft and slots. ”

“ The chain drive, direct from a small chain-wheel on the engine shaft, is faulty in principle. The engine shaft running often at 2000 revolutions per minute, the chain is necessarily noisy, and is subject to continual gradual stretching, necessitating frequent readjustment. ”

“ A very light, serviceable frame may be made for your motor-base by using hollow shafts or sticks. Procure a very thin, light wood, such as is used for veneering, and after cutting it carefully into strips, glue them together to form a hollow shaft about an inch square. Although the shell may be only one sixteenth of an inch thick, the frame will be found strong enough for all practical purposes. ”

“ Instead of the ordinary upright columns in front of each engine there is an arrangement which gives exceptional stiffness to the whole structure whilst affording the fullest possible accessibility to the main working parts, and which has the appearance of an arch, from the shoulders of which there are branches worked up to receive the feet of the cylinders, thus accommodating the close centres and providing for the support of the reversing wheel without in the least obstructing the gear below. ”

“ The gear on the armature shaft should be as small, and that on the axle as large, as practicable. The intermediate gear should be of such a size that it will close the space between the small gear on the armature shaft and the large one on the axle. ”

“ Section 87.—THROWING IN AND OUT OF GEAR. 1574. The driving wheel is loose on shaft, and is locked to its shaft by the hand wheel nut (see No. 945) , or by a ratchet wheel and locking pawl.
1575. Two half-nuts are lifted in or out of gear with the screw by cam or lever motion. See No. 942.
1576. One shaft runs in eccentric bearings, which can be revolved so as to throw it out of gear with the other shaft.
[193]
Larger plate.
[194]
1577. Radius bar and slot. The stud wheel can be shifted in or out of gear along the slot.
1578. Sliding back shaft, slides out of gear. See dotted lines. ”

“ To meet the different thicknesses of the planks or boards, the bearings of the shaft or cylinder may be made movable, by screws or other means, to adjust it to the work; or the carriage or bed-plate may be made so as to raise the board or plank up to the planing-cylinder. E and E' are the revolving cutters, or tonguing and grooving wheels, which are placed upon vertical shafts, having upon them pulleys, D D, around which pass belts or bands from the main drum, I, to which a revolving motion may be given by any adequate motive power. ”

“ Whether the engine has two, four, or six cylinders, the car is propelled in a similar way for all the pistons assist in turning one shaft, called the engine shaft, which runs along the centre of the car to the back axle. ”

“ The upper compartment contains the registering mechanism and a small valve chamber, the latter corresponding to the steam chest of an engine. In each of the lower compartments is a metal disk attached to the central partition by well-oiled flexible leathers, each disk, leather and the partition forming a bellows. ”

“ For most of us it was our first experience with the compartment cars of the Old World—little compartments running the width of the car, a door opening from each side of the car, with two seats running from one side to the other, each holding from three to five people, who sat facing each other. ”