Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 3]

[SpeckledJim]

slipstream 1985 said:

Roofless Toothless said:

I was watching the Touring Car racing yesterday, and noticed again how noisy and 'whiny' the gearboxes are.

My understanding is that this is because the racing boxes use straight cut gears while commercial gears have a 'bevelled' profile that makes them run quieter. Correct me if I am wrong.

My question is, why are straight cut gears considered more suitable for racing? Are they more efficient, transmit power more effectively, stronger?

Because race car.


Also they sound so cool!

I believe they're more efficient. Less metal-metal rubbing together.

[GIYess]

Jonboy_t said:

An extension of Ashleyman's question;

Why does the UK still have an amber light between red and green? I understand between green and red obviously, but why do we need to 'prepare' to go, why not just 'GO!'?

Irish lights don't have an amber and for some reason it takes the mind longer to register the light has changed to green. Maybe the amber is easier to pick up in peripheral vision?

[captain_cynic]

GIYess said:

Jonboy_t said:

An extension of Ashleyman's question;

Why does the UK still have an amber light between red and green? I understand between green and red obviously, but why do we need to 'prepare' to go, why not just 'GO!'?

Irish lights don't have an amber and for some reason it takes the mind longer to register the light has changed to green. Maybe the amber is easier to pick up in peripheral vision?

We do perceive orange and yellow colours the quickest.

I'm not sure if this is true, but I've always assumed that the yellow flash before green had to do with warning people to prepare to set off. It was there to give you a second to put the car into gear and take the handbrake off. Australia doesn't have a yellow flash and goes straight from red to green, UK traffic sets off a lot faster than Australian traffic.

[dave_s13]

Sprinkler heads mounted on every 3rd fence post at a polar bear enclosure at Yorkshire wildlife park.



Is it to stop the cunning bears from burning the fence down or what??

[Gad-Westy]

SpeckledJim said:

slipstream 1985 said:

Roofless Toothless said:

I was watching the Touring Car racing yesterday, and noticed again how noisy and 'whiny' the gearboxes are.

My understanding is that this is because the racing boxes use straight cut gears while commercial gears have a 'bevelled' profile that makes them run quieter. Correct me if I am wrong.

My question is, why are straight cut gears considered more suitable for racing? Are they more efficient, transmit power more effectively, stronger?

Because race car.


Also they sound so cool!

I believe they're more efficient. Less metal-metal rubbing together.

As roothelss toothless says, it's because the force of one gear turning another is direct where helical gears are imparting side load component on each other as well. Interestingly, the noise you hear is oil being squeezed out of the gap rather than the noise of gears meshing. Obvious when you think about it but it's not something that you necessarily equate when you hear that whining noise.

[Super Slo Mo]

Gad-Westy said:

SpeckledJim said:

slipstream 1985 said:

Roofless Toothless said:

I was watching the Touring Car racing yesterday, and noticed again how noisy and 'whiny' the gearboxes are.

My understanding is that this is because the racing boxes use straight cut gears while commercial gears have a 'bevelled' profile that makes them run quieter. Correct me if I am wrong.

My question is, why are straight cut gears considered more suitable for racing? Are they more efficient, transmit power more effectively, stronger?

Because race car.


Also they sound so cool!

I believe they're more efficient. Less metal-metal rubbing together.

As roothelss toothless says, it's because the force of one gear turning another is direct where helical gears are imparting side load component on each other as well. Interestingly, the noise you hear is oil being squeezed out of the gap rather than the noise of gears meshing. Obvious when you think about it but it's not something that you necessarily equate when you hear that whining noise.

Didn’t know that about the oil. I understood that they were also stronger on a like for like basis as well as being more efficient.

[FiF]

Maybe this is one for the IT forum but here goes.

Telegraph site is behind paywall. Reading on my phone and premium articles are behind said paywall. On my tablet they are not.

I do not have an account, well technically it's not been renewed as the quality of their journalism is so dire.

Anyway both phone and tablet are Android.

[glazbagun]

I believe the Telegraph allow a number of free views. If you clear the cookies on your blocked device, it may also give you them again.

I also note that many blockers use a flash (or something) overlay. If it is disabled on your browser it may not pop up. Like what happened when Wiki went down in protest about Net Neutrality.

[Exige77]

Super Slo Mo said:

Gad-Westy said:

SpeckledJim said:

slipstream 1985 said:

Roofless Toothless said:

I was watching the Touring Car racing yesterday, and noticed again how noisy and 'whiny' the gearboxes are.

My understanding is that this is because the racing boxes use straight cut gears while commercial gears have a 'bevelled' profile that makes them run quieter. Correct me if I am wrong.

My question is, why are straight cut gears considered more suitable for racing? Are they more efficient, transmit power more effectively, stronger?

Because race car.


Also they sound so cool!

I believe they're more efficient. Less metal-metal rubbing together.

As roothelss toothless says, it's because the force of one gear turning another is direct where helical gears are imparting side load component on each other as well. Interestingly, the noise you hear is oil being squeezed out of the gap rather than the noise of gears meshing. Obvious when you think about it but it's not something that you necessarily equate when you hear that whining noise.

Didn’t know that about the oil. I understood that they were also stronger on a like for like basis as well as being more efficient.

Stronger and less transmission losses but no one cares about that, just listen to that noise !!

[mko9]

Willy Nilly said:

If those two people that got poisoned in Salisbury recover, will there be any long term damage done to them?

Quite possibly/probably. That stuff is a potent nerve agent that is supposed to kill you because of what it does to your nervous system. They obviously got a less than lethal dose, it just depends on how much of a dose they actually got. But it could permanently affect the heart or lungs, for example.

Look about half way down under "Effects": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novichok_agent

"novichok agents may cause lasting nerve damage"

"He was critically injured and took ten days to recover consciousness after the incident. He lost the ability to walk and was treated at a secret clinic in Leningrad for three months afterwards. The agent caused permanent harm, with effects that included "chronic weakness in his arms, a toxic hepatitis that gave rise to cirrhosis of the liver, epilepsy, spells of severe depression, and an inability to read or concentrate that left him totally disabled and unable to work." He never recovered and died in July 1992 after five years of deteriorating health."

[glazbagun]

What was the last car produced with this style of flick switch (though I believe this is a 3-way) on the dashboard?

Edited by glazbagun on Monday 9th April 22:38

[talksthetorque]

glazbagun said:

What was the last car produced with this style of flick switch (though I believe this is a 3-way) on the dashboard?

Edited by glazbagun on Monday 9th April 22:38

Still in production - Current Mini

[glenrobbo]

Why do they call it a "Mini" when it's so bloody huge: about the same size as a Range Rover Evoque?

[talksthetorque]

I can help with that one too:

£££

[Ayahuasca]

glazbagun said:

What was the last car produced with this style of flick switch (though I believe this is a 3-way) on the dashboard?

Edited by glazbagun on Monday 9th April 22:38

Morgan three-wheelers have them too.

[Halmyre]

talksthetorque said:

glazbagun said:

What was the last car produced with this style of flick switch (though I believe this is a 3-way) on the dashboard?

Edited by glazbagun on Monday 9th April 22:38

Still in production - Current Mini

ISTR they were 'banned' and rocker switches became the norm. Who remembers these?



http://www.s-v-c.co.uk/product/speedwell-switch-ex...

[FerdiZ28]

glenrobbo said:

Why do they call it a "Mini" when it's so bloody huge: about the same size as a Range Rover Evoque?

Marketing & prevalence of easily-sold-to hipsters.

[Super Slo Mo]

FerdiZ28 said:

glenrobbo said:

Why do they call it a "Mini" when it's so bloody huge: about the same size as a Range Rover Evoque?

Marketing & prevalence of easily-sold-to hipsters.

It’s just a brand name these days surely.

[V8mate]

Super Slo Mo said:

FerdiZ28 said:

glenrobbo said:

Why do they call it a "Mini" when it's so bloody huge: about the same size as a Range Rover Evoque?

Marketing & prevalence of easily-sold-to hipsters.

It’s just a brand name these days surely.

Exactly. You don't get a bit of the red planet when you buy a Mars.

[glenrobbo]

V8mate said:

Super Slo Mo said:

FerdiZ28 said:

glenrobbo said:

Why do they call it a "Mini" when it's so bloody huge: about the same size as a Range Rover Evoque?

Marketing & prevalence of easily-sold-to hipsters.

It’s just a brand name these days surely.

Exactly. You don't get a bit of the red planet when you buy a Mars.

No doubt all you hot-blooded males out there are looking forward to the reveal of this season's new "miniskirt"?



CALL me old fashioned, but I prefer to see the original 1960's version