Herein Dr. Dickinson reviews briefly the causes leading to birth of the Cooperative Fuel Research, the appointment of the joint steering committee to confer on program and pass upon results, the progress made in the several phases of the work, and the projects now engaging attention.
An outstanding feature has been the development of harmony and cooperation among engineers of the petroleum and the automotive industries.
Mutual adaptation of the fuel and the engine to each other has been the guiding principle in the work, to the end of National economy and internal-combustion engine efficiency.
Projects undertaken include the determination of the grade of gasoline that affords the maximum number of car-miles per barrel of crude oil; the causes of and remedies for crankcase-oil dilution; the effect of initial volatility on starting, acceleration and general behavior of the engine; and measurement of the detonating characteristics of a fuel.
A bibliography of the progress reports is given at the end of the paper.
In conclusion, the author emphasizes that this research work already has brought into accord the engineering staffs of the two industries; contributed largely to fuel saving for the Country; developed all the data needed to combat crank-case-oil dilution; provided complete data on the relationship of fuels to engine-starting; cleared up the question of the effect of fuel on engine acceleration; and is now concerned with securing satisfactory control over the relationship between fuels and compression ratios.