Times change, Basics don't
My father was recently cleaning out the loft. Amongst the items found was my comic collection (Beano circa 1983) and a number of magazines.
One of the magazines was a copy of motor from 1969, a mere 50 years ago.
Looking through it was very interesting but lets focus on just 2 articles. The first was the 4WD Mclaren which was developed in what some might call the glory days of F1. During the late 60s, 70s and early 80s, with access to the DFV engine from Cosworth, allowed F1 teams to develop novel approaches. Think Brabham fan car, 6 wheel Tyrrell, and the numerous novel ideas from Lotus.
Having previously worked at Cosworth I was well aware Keith and Frank did a 4WD F1 car which never raced, but the other attempts were unknown...
Also inside, to my surprise, was an article detailing the torsional vibrations in a crankshaft. How times change... I would not expect a magazine today (even as they rapidly disappear) to have anything along these lines. What was particularly interesting was the simplicity of the article explaining in simple terms a sometimes complicated subject.
Its been 50 years since this issue of Motor was first published, but the interesting subject matter demonstrates how interests change and why there is a push to get a younger generation interested in #STEM subjects. The engineering challenges of today and the future will always include balancing rotating forces, albeit in probably quite a different application.
So as the internet takes over from print (which has a lot to live up to) and electric replaces (in part) petrol/diesel, maybe the basics and history attached might inspire or at least be of interest to a younger generation.
What is clear today as was so in 1969 is that opportunities to challenge the norm will always exist (think cybertruck et al). To succeed means doing your homework and knowing the basics - you can then challenge the status quo by doing things differently...
All rights to scanned media with the publisher, Anthony Curtis and fantastic cutaway from Brian Hatton.