The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-24
FRAMES IMPORTANT,
BUT LITTLE KNOWN
Poor Construction Causes Rat
ties, Squeaks and Bind
ing Doors.

To the average motor car owner the
frame of the vehicle he drives Is abso-
utoly unknown. He believes that this
Important part of his car Is of metal
and even here he would be mistaken
Pm one notable case. and let's 1t go at
that. Now il happens that there have
been some very interesting developments
In frame design and construction during
the last few years which any man who
has invested a considerable sum Of
money i'm car ought to understand,
In some cases manufacturers. oblivious
OF the future, have taken advantage of
this carelessness on the part of buyers
nv employing in their cars poorly de-
signed frames or more frequently a
cheap and unsubstantial sort of metal.
which has been incapable of standing
up under the punishment that this part
of the chassis inevitably receives. A
poorly constructed frame soon develops
weaknesses at the joints and begins to
sag. The result is tnat series Of hor-
rendous squeaks develop. the doors gap
open or bind and the superstructure of
the car rapidly ratties TO pieces.
Until very recently practically all mo-
tor car makers, no matter how much of
the rest of the vehicle they might pro-
duce in their own shops, bought frames
from the parts makers. Now, however,
there Is n distinct tendency to devote
. just as much pains to designing this part
of the chassis as any other. 1t was al
ways thought essential that passenger
car frame should be flexible-that a fac
tor should be allowed for what is known
as weaving. At the present time sew
eral prominent manufacturers are using
a rigid frame which is apparently re-
lieved of all the faults that used to be
believed inevitable in this part.
Present day practice has universally
accepted the overhung type of frame.
which means that II is located above the
axles. The undressing frame achieved
sorne popularity few years ago, but it
has passed on for the present.
The material generally employed in
making car frames Is carbon steel, al
10y steel being perforce reserved for the
higher priced cars. In design all of
them embody what are known as chan
mel sections for the rails. these being
the side members upon which the body
is mounted. Connecting the rails are
cross members spanning the frame at
right angles to the former. The num-
Der of cross members varies according
to the IDEAS of the individual engineer.
Sontimes three are considered suffi-
Client and again as many as six may be
somewhat toward their ends, at which
places they are Joined to the springs
In various ways.
The ruling practice to-day is the
tapered frame. in which the front Is
narrower than the rear. This gives
the car a smaller turning radius, de-
cidedly an advantage In this day of
close packed traffic. In many. perhaps
a majority, of cases the frame design
ft,af tc slxi rty NJ
In the rear. This Is an upward bend in
the side rail of the frame, which brings
the centre of gravity low without re-
ducpg the distance between the frame
and the aXles to a point where trouble
might result, and also the need for n
kick-up Will be governed somewhat by
the type of spring employed.
The cross members, Of which we spoke
before. are variously Of pressed steel,
channel section or tubular. the latter
being In the minority. These members
are riveted In place. There is in not
very extensive use at the present time
design which supplies a mounting
place for the engine in the shape of a
sub-franQe built of channel sections.
The engine mounted In this way may
be located about as desired as regards
the other mechanical units
While the ordinary frame finds the
engine the heaviest weight which 1t III
called upon to support, 1t must also con-
tain provision for supporting certain
other units OF the mechanism, as, for
instance. the transmission, when that
located separate from the motor.
The tapered sections at the ends OF
the frame are known as the horns, and
here the springs are attached. except in
the case of cantilevers. where one spring
support is placed on the axle housing.
The forward ends of the springs are at
tached to brackets, which are riveted to
the rail
Some years ago II used to be the Gus
tom to truss the frame IL 1t proved to
be not strong enough for the work it
was called upon to do. With the ad
vent of a proper frame design this prac-
tice has ceased or practically so Ut is
still used little in truck construction.
Where great rigidity Is sought IL ~ com
mon practice to install gusset plates.
which are pieces of channel sections
riveted to the rails and to the cross
member AT the rear OF the frame. 'fnis
prevents distortion Of the frame at the
corners.
In the new rigid type of frame the side
rails are made deeper than used to De
the practice, running to as much as nine
or ten inches. The running boards IN
this construction are made integral with
tho rails. the tenders are riveted in place
and with the body firmly secured there
is little chance for the disintegration
with CONSEQUENT rattles that USED TO be
the ordinary thing.
The flexible frame is made with the
intention of having IL yield a little with
the motion of the car in passing over
rough roads, when one wheel may DO
up while the others are down. The depth
of the side rails used in flexible con-
structions are usually not more tnan
five or six inches. In this design the
supports for the running board are
rivetcd on instead OF being made in
tegral as in the rigid type.
We cannot here enter into discussion
of the relative advantages of the flex-
ible and rigid constructions. The fiex-
ible frame Is still the predominatIng
type. but the rigid design has certainly
made tremendous strides toward popular
favor since II was introduced a couple
OF years ago.
Years ago the wooden frame disputed
the ascendency with metal constructions.
and indeed 1t has many virtues. chief
Of which is its ability 10 absorb shocks
OF all kinds. but to do this Il must be
Of the best available wood. The one
prominent manufacturer using wood
en- frames To-Day builds them with
two side rails. embodying three piles
glued and screwed together and pro-
tected against moisture by strips az too