Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-11-25
ENGINEERING CYCLE
REACHES ALUMINIUM
Demand for Lighter Motors
SO Great That 1t Must
Be Met.

(By EARL G. GUNN, chief engineer
Premier Motor CorpD
In automobile engineering we hove
Just completed q cycle which might fit
tlngly he known as the steel era, and
We are lust entering on new cycle
which may. with equal aptitude, be
designated as the aluminium era.
When American Industry began turn
Ing It's attention 20 the manufacture Of
motor ears. steel was steel. There was
practically diyersification In tho alloy
Of steel and the demands Of the new
motor-drivcn vehicle were such that
engineers tiwmcdiltcly recognized .he
necessity Of procuring steel OF great
deal moro pIouuonccd tensile 9Th
and a great deal more variance in
quality. As q result OF this situation.
mctallurrists promptly concentrated on
tho production of various steel alloys
10 meet the various demands Of vari-
Gus parts Of the motor car, ard today
steel alloy runs the whole gamut from
wrought iron to tungsten
SO II IS seen that the Influence of
the motor cor in stimulating The crea-
ton Of new steel and In compelling
h" Development Of new methods for
tempering steel is unmistakable Were
n not for tho motor ear, we would
easily Le fifty years behind our pres
cnt schedule in tho direction Of steel
development.
But we have gone about as far as
we can I'm improving the motor car
until something lighter and more prac-
tical for use In certain parts of the
ear is obtained. Al this junction auto
mobile engineers have taken up the
aluminium idea and II is this fact
l. 4. MO
are at this moment entering into the
aluminium era In motor car building.
or course, in taking up any new
material for use in manufacture, the
first question which occurs TO any
sane woman is, How much of this new
material H. there available"
In applying this question to alum
num, the layman is surprised to learn
that It's visible supply Is practically
ineNhaustible As between aluminium
oxide, from which aluminium Is OBJ
tainod. and iron oxide from which Is
obtained iron, and thence steel-one
is about as plentiful as the other. SO
there need be no question in anyone's
mind about the adequacy of the alumi-
mum supply.
But raw aluminium, as n material
for motor car building, without being
problem. therefore of alloying alumi-
mum is one of profound importance.
Until recently. the science Of alloying
aluminium was in a very rudimentary
stage. Today, however, thru intcnsi-
fled Investigation and Experimenting
on the part OF some of our best equip
ped aluminium organiZations In the
country, suitable aluminium alloy have
been developed for many of the most
important parts in a Rotor car.
Aluminium undoubtedly is destined
TO undergo somewhat the same process
Of alloy development at the hands Of
ImetallUrgsts. who in turn are impelled
/ by the demands of motor car engineers.
as was experienced by steel.
The basic qualities of aluminium,
namely lightness and strength. are so
obviously correct for motor car pur-
poses that with very slight stretch Of
/ the imagination one can fOrsec she
| time when the motor car will be pretty
/ thoroughly lluminiZed from radiator
To rear axle The most difficult item
| of motor car constructi0n-na
| that Of the motor-has already been
! Thoroughly aluminized in two instances
/ here in America, and in as much as
! engineers and motallurgiSts have been
able to successfully cope with the most
/ difficult unit il stands 10 reason that
they will find other units in the car
far more easy.
The impression has prevailed that
America was antCdated In the huiluing
" aluminium motors by Europe. Such
an impression. however, Is not borne