Photographing the Jolts of an Automobile 



How you can tell what shock- 

 absorber is most efficient 



One of the Many Records Obtained 



The two top lines are made by the' lights worn by the 

 passengers and show the jolts to which those in the 

 front and rear seats were subjected; the lower four 

 lines show the movement of the car when overriding 



an obstruction. It is evident that the passenger in 

 the rear seat is thrown up and down more violently 

 than the passenger in the front seat, and that the 

 passengers are tossed up more than the car itself 



EVERY one of the hundred odd manu- 

 facturers of shock absorbers, tires, 

 and springs claims that the applica- 

 tion of his particular device to the auto- 

 mobile will give the greatest possible ease of 

 riding. Now comes Mr. W. C. Keys, an 

 experimental engineer, with a method of 

 visibly recording the effect of jolts on a car 

 and of ascertaining to what extent shocks 

 are absorbed. 



Electric lights are mounted on the front 

 and rear hubs, the front and rear fenders 

 and on the passengers. The lights are 

 turned on, and the car is driven at night 

 across the field of a, 'camera. 



The record obtained shows accurately the 

 path of travel of every critical part of the 



car as well as of the passengers. Study the 

 photographic record which appears on this 

 page. The two top lines are made by the 

 lights worn by the passengers, the topmost 

 line representing the passenger in the rear 

 seat and the one immediately below it rep- 

 resenting the passenger in the front seat. 

 The other lines are made by lights fastened 

 on the car. 



The four lower and straighter lines rep- 

 resent the riding qualities of the springs and 

 tires. The two top lines sum up the riding 

 qualities of the car and show the effect of 

 the passengers' position in relation to the 

 axles, of the trimming of the seat cushions, 

 of the flexibility of the frame, etc., in addi- 

 tion to the effect of the tires and of the 



The Disposition of the Lights 



Lights were attached to the car on the hubs, on the 

 fenders, on the body, and on the passengers as here 



shown. Beneath the car appears the obstruction which 

 the car had to override in making the experiments 



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