The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-08-31
An Electrically Con
tro]led Two-speed Rear
Axle Design for
Motor Cars
The following appears in the Sc
entific American OF August q:

The following appears in the Sci
entific American of August q
With the constantly increasing cost
of gasoline, automobile manufactuh
ers have been hard put to 1t to dis
cover means either to decrease the
voraciousness of their motors or in
some way to Increase the number OF
miles their cars will run on the fuel
contained in their tanks. One way
out Of the difficulty is to increase the
final drive gear ratio between the
engine and the road wheels, though
when this increase is made permanent
there arises the difficulty OF obtain
ing f1exibility at low speeds and with
none of the transmission geara In
-on top gear" In other words.
Now, however, there has been de-
veloped by prominent Detroit auto
mobile manufacturer O novel type of
electrically controlled two-speed, or
two-gear, rear axle that bids fair to
solve the eternal fuel problem in ad-
dition to having several other adyan-
tages Of Importance. The idea OF the
two-gear rear axle is not new, of
course, for as long ago as 1907 the
Italian Fiat company filed applica-
ton for patents on device OF the
kind; and sntce then two other for
eign and at least one other Amer
loan manufacturer have taken It up.
The first American device appeared
in Chicago at the automobile show
early this year.
The method of controlling the gear
changes in the new axle that has inst
been brought out, however, is brand
new: nothing like 1t has ever been
attempted before. Prior to the ap-
pearance Of this axle, gear changes in
other axles of tho kind have been
made manually by means Of lever
similar to the ordinary transmission
gear-set lever In this new axle,
which Is illustrated herewith, the gear
changes are made with the aid OF
magnets controlled by small button
placed conveniently at the drivers
hand. Hence, to obtain either high
or low gear requires merely the de
preston OF the button, no other move
ment being required.
In construction, the new axle is
much like the orthodox pattern Of
rear axle except that it has two beye,
rings and two bevel pinions instead Of
one OF each. One Of the bevel pinions
lis connected to solid shaft which Is
carried on bearings inside hollow
shaft to which the other bevel pinior
is attached; the gears are CONSTANT.
In mesh and the magnets operate
lclutches.
Just how much the new axle may b.
expected to decrease fuel consumption
may be gathered from the fact tina
the use of the high gear ratio In
creases the car speed just ~ per cen
with the engine revolutions remainin
constant For instance. with the eT
CINE turning at 700 revolutions a mir
ute and the low gear in use the spec
of the car will be approximately 2
miles an hour, whereas with the hig
gear in use the car speed will be al
proximately 80 miles an hour. In OIL
er words, the car will travel nine mile
farther ON given amount of fuel wit
high gear in use than 1t will with tn
low gear in use. The high gear gives
final ratio of 2.5 to 1 and the low ges
. ratio of 1855 to 1.
The increase in mileage, OF cours
is supplemental to decreased wear an
tear in the parts, due to the slow,
speed at which they operate when IL
high gear Is in use. Also, engine ,
bration, which always constitutes
menace to the life parts, is material
reduced at high car speeds. The ne
e axle is being used as standard equi
7 ment on all of the cars produced
the manufacturer for the 1914 season
The above important statement
facts of this new motor car deveIc
ment of course refers to the CADI
LAC for 1914 It cannot but be of
terest coming as 1t does from the lee
ing scientific magazine of this COUNT
and more than bears out the claims
the manufacturers OF the car.