The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-04-08

found 10 have made ehslhetIlh6 US
tory of a definite nature It's Work Is
of interest not merely Ia the tech
nieian. but To the layman VINO ue'
mands efficiency. safer, atd comtoit
in the use of his motor car. bul Who
has lttl, idea how largely these IL
sired qualities are the fruit uf vas,
research and labor Standardization
is the keynote OF the work OF me
society. Ii is the vital and impera-
tive need OF the producing end OF any
great industry.
That Standardization Is a good thlns
is realized by many, but the necessity
of il would be realized by many more
il the situation were fully understood.
For example. II is not clear To many
OF the business men associated with
the automobile industry that there Is
any unnecessary complication OF ue-
sign They do not realize that there
are three or four hundred more uf
mansions and designs for lock-wash'
ers between the sizes or SID OF an
inch aud u inch than there ought 10
be. II is hard for the business man
10 see why any such situation shouIu
arise unless there existed some neces-
sity for f. The explanation is clear
A craftsman is called upon To make
a drawing OF an automobile axle, TOT
example His instructions are 10 draw
an axle capable OF carrying car OF
some given weight and that, Ia gen.
eral way, II should be an l-oeam axle
OF certain length and style. Entering
into this axle are very many details as
10 size or hole for spring clips. pms
for steering joints, etc. 10 accom-
modate the rest OF the steering
mechanism and permit the whole
thing TO slip into a car properly
The craftsman exercises his own
Judgment as 10 these details. not hav-
ing before him any standard for the
various details. He may choose a
tubing for the steering cross rod. Tor
example, that does not exist In STOCK.
III he has no table OF tubing sizes oe-
fore him. he makes IL TO suit his own
fancy SO long as II will do the worF.
He will do the same thing for the
shape OF the heads Of the screws lnd
bolts and for the size OF the holes Tor
the spring clips and for many other
details Every one OF these things he
may select, TO suit his fancy, may not
exist In stock. may not even be OF
standard design.
The drawing will go TO the checker
and, IL the figures correspond ana tn9
design be a good looking one, II goes
TO the purchasing department and lhe
parts are ordered. The next thing
that may happen is that the screws
ordered are found TO be special and
the screw company furnishing hem
so states and says, Can you not use
this size. which differs only yer;
little from what you have ordered
The purchasing department says.
Yes, but all the other parts are al
ready in the machine shop and par
TALLY machined and We are sorry. but
we must have these special screws
even at the high price you are Obliged
TO ask for them"
So the special parts are ordered and
incorporated and the worst OF X Is
that the next time a new model Is
designed. il may be desired TO incor-
porate this axle or parts OF II TO save
tools and fixtures; so again the spe-
cial parts are ordered and II may lie
several years before the extra ex-
pense of obtaining special parts Is
gotten rid Of All this arose, not FROM
necessity but from the unguided idea
OF craftsman.
To guide the ideas Of such drafts
man is one OF the principle functions
OF the Society OF Automobile En-
gineers. The aim will be to put INTO
the hands OF every designing drafts
man an Engineers Pocketbook or a
a Hnll ,t. aim
what Is available, in the way OF
screws, tubing, lock washers, rod
ends, grease cups and the many fit
tings that are standard.
This system already exists in
bridge building and other constrpc-
tions and has been brought about by
the large companies who furnish such
materials They publish handbooks
showing what the standard sections
are for I-beams, angle irons and The
like. The craftsman has formed a
habit OF going TO such books TO find
out which size OF I-beam he can OBJ
tain as a regular section. He man
ages to incorporate such a stock or
standard I-beam I'm his design, with
the result that no special rolls have
TO be turned up to produce Ii and no
correspondence and communication
as to special prices are necessary
This is the direction in which the so
ciety of Automobile Engineers is
working, and not with the idea OF
sitting original design. There will be
no attempt to throttle original ~
search AS in changes in engines.
changes in transmissions, or changes
I'm any portion OF an automobile.
This does not alter the fact, how
ever, that IL is better TO have a novel
engine or a novel transmission made
up OF component parts which are
standard and .well-tried out, than one
which Is not only novel in design as
whole but one in which every
element Is novel and untried
The s. A. F. stands ready to assist
in manufacturing difficulties and
necessities in any OF the many com
petent engineering fields OF automo-
bile production AS an example, the
manufacturers or electric lighting sys
TENS for automobiles recently applied
TO the society TO take up the matter
OF standardizing certain features Jf
those systems, with particular refer
ence TO their attachment to autorho
biles. This matter was promptly re
ferred 70 the Miscellaneous Division
of the s. A. +. Standards Committee
for action
President Souther's Statement.
In discussing the whole subject
Hapry Dra,fJ.9v-f