To improve economically the cooling performance of trucks an analytical approach was used to assist development. The component tests undertaken included the complete net pressure and power characteristics of two engine water pumps and four engine fans, the heat transfer and pressure drop performances over appropriate flow ranges of some 14 radiators, the additional resistance to air flow offered by two noise shields, and studies of the effects of pump speed, coolant temperature, system pressure, thermostat resistance, and by-pass resistance on radiator water flow with three different engines. The apparatus and methods used for each type of test are outlined. Using the above and other existing data, cooling performance was predicted for some 80 different configurations and conditions, and fan power consumption was predicted for several of these. These results enabled component design and manufacturing problems to be identified and the selection of the most promising configurations for actual development testing. The agreement between the predicted and actual cooling performances is discussed. The use of computer programmes in component testing and analytical prediction is mentioned, and various possible developments in future cooling systems of still higher performance are discussed.
