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One of our senior brake engineers was sent out to some third-world country (I forget which) to investigate a claim that brakes on a bus were inadequate.
When he returned he was, at first, speechless. He said that he didn't know where to begin.
Over time he described how the chassis had been fitted with a body which was longer (and wider) than recommended. He also described the location as having a very high (and steep) mountain and this bus ran from the foothills to the top (well, almost) and was very popular, carrying many passengers and considerable freight. The all-up weight far exceeded the original design weight and progress up the mountain was incredibly slow with first gear being used for most of the climb.
When the vehicle reached the summit, tanks on the roof were filled with water (further increasing the all-up weight). These tanks of water had been fitted because the brakes had been overheating during the descent (done, largely in neutral it seemed). Pipes dribbled this water over the brake drums in an attempt to reduce the temperature (though, of course, the brake linings were already 'cooked' from previous applications).
He couldn't begin to explain to the operator why the resultant modifications weren't approved by the manufacturer . . .
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6th November 2009, 11:15
