Evening star., 1914-05-03
AUTO ENGINEERS
HOLD QUARTERLY
Newly Planned Meeting of
Standards Committee Is
Great Success.
MOST OF THE REPORTS
ARE OF PROGRESS NATURE
Eleven Of the Active Divisions Dis
cuss Relative Features of Stand
ardization Work.

w VI
The Society of Automobile Engineers
has Just brought to successful con-
clusion the first of it's quarterly meet
inss OF the standards committee. Here
tofore the meetings have been held
semi annually just prior TO the nation
a. meetings of the society. The purpose
II the new plan. inaugurated during
the administration OF President Henry
NJ Leland. is to make possible broad
-ning the scope Of the Standardization
work. which has met with general ap-
prevail
During the convention OF last week
meetings Of eleven of the active divi-
sions Of subcommittees of the stand
ards committee were held Most of the
reports made were of progress ma
ture. In fact. none of the recommen-
dations being considered can be accept
ed under the rules by the society Of
ficially until they have been made
final and specific. approved by the
council and formally discussed at ma
tional meetings of the society. at which
time ballots are cast by the members
having voting power on the acceptance
of practice recommended. Sixty five
experts in various lines were in attend
ance at the convention.
Axle Clips for Pleasure Cars.
The springs division, Harold L. Pope.
chairman. is formulating a table of axle
clios for use on pleasure cars. with the
idea of reducing the number OF sizes
and submitting a design of clip that will
represent the best engineering practice
Data have already been collected from a
large number of automobile engineers
showing the practice as to the diameter
Of spring clip shank with relation to the
width of leaf springs and giving infor-
nation as 10 the best methods of reduc-
Ing To minimum breakage of short
spring leaves.
The prospect is that the iron and stee,
division. Henry Souther chairman. will
recommend that about half of the pre-
viously accepted eighty specifications of
8 \. F.. steels be eliminated. also that
in the case of some steels the previously
accepted content of phosphorus and sui
phur he raised.
Prof. X. c. Carpenter. Prof. j. A.
Mover. William Guy Wall and Herbert
Chase attended the meeting of the motor
testing division. at which time the three
motor-testing forms submitted at the last
meeting of the society were further con-
sidered. and II was decided to draw up
a code for use in connection with the con-
duct of motor tests
Spark Plug Recommendation.
The miscellaneous division. John G.
Utz chairman. recently recommended the
spark plug with larger hexagon head to
permit the employment of larger porce-
lains without disturbing interchangea-
biltty with the previously accepted stand
ard. the A. L. A. NJ. spark plug. the
name of which was changed to S. A. E.
some years ago. A complete table of d.
nensions Of pins for S. A. E. standard rod
and yoke ends was submitted.
The electrical equipment division. A. L.
Riker chairman. took up the matter Of
installing fuses in circuits from storage
batteries as applied to both two-wire and
single-wire systems long discussion
was also had as to the best methods of
controlling the rays of headlights in such
Q way as to insure comfortable and en-
tirely safe country driving.
The nomenclature division. A. B. Cum
ner chairman, limited its proceedings TO
formal discussion as to the plan and scope
of future activities. A vote was passed
requesting the council to instruct the va
r!ous divisions of the standards commit
tee TO refer to IL all questions involving
nomenclature. The division is co-operat-
ing with the nomenclature committee Of
the British engineering standards COM
nllttee. which is supported by the Eng
ilsh government and represents the lead
tng engineering societies and firms of
Great Britain.
Words and Phrases Submitted.
charles Wheeler, a member OF the
oancil OF the Institution OF Automobile
Engineers. who attended the last sum
iner meeting OF the s. A. F.. is chairman
j: the British nomenclature committee.
5 letter from him was read at the meet
ag announcing that he was sending for
me consideration OF the 5. A. +. nomen-
.ature division a list of words and
!hrases which is now under the consid-
ration of his committee
The meeting held recently was the first
me OF the electric vehicle division. The
division proceeded with temporary Or
ssnization being in consultation with
tne delegates from the electric vehicle
association standards committee. 1t was
he sense OF the meeting that the Society
q Automobile Engineers should be re-
cuested to have more electric vehicle
representatives on the different divisions
"f the standards committee where the
work IS common TO both gasoline and
clectrc vehicles
The pleasure car wheels division took
usder consideration the results OF an ex-
.ensive series OF tests OF rims conducted
oy +. Il. Hall. The division expects to
make recommendations which will reduce
tne commonly used sizes Of pneumatic
tires TO twelve. in any event not more
than sixteen. At the present time some
e, the tire companies are listing fifty
different sizes.
Wheelmakers Discuss Dimensions.
A number os wheelmakers attended
the meeting OF the division 10 take
mart in the discussion OF the posi-
pility Of standardizing wood wheel d.
-nensions and felloe bands for pneumatic
tires. a number OF drawings and
sketches were submitted 10 elIcidlte the
subject. the situation as 10 which ap-
pears at this time 10 be th:,t / i prob
ably feasible 10 recommend rwu sets of
dimensions which viii cover the practice
II was hoped that one set OF dimensions
could be recommended, as has been done
hy the society In the case Of solid tires,
aut whether this can be done viii! be
discussed in paper 10 be presented
a a later date.
>. \. J.. standards are generally used
sud reduce or simplify labor In the en-
cheering. production and service de-
partuents. The money saving effected
IN tire reduction in labor and the facility
with which materials can be secured can
a estimated and is large. The members
az the society practically unanimously