PRELIMINARY DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE 1962 GENERAL MOTORS AUTOMOTIVE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR

Although the field of automotive air conditioning is relatively new, it has enjoyed rapid growth. This expanding market, together with less available space in the engine compartment, has created a need for an air conditioning compressor of smaller size and increased capacity. This paper describes the preliminary design and development problems of a six cylinder axial swashplate compressor. The unit has a displacement of 15 cubic inches per revolution, and weighs 23 lbs. The production development of this device is described in two companion papers, “Production Design and Development of 1962 Frigidaire Automotive Compressor and Clutch.” by Messrs. J. Murphy and R. Mantey and “System Design and Development of 1962 GM/Harrison Automotive Air Conditioning.” by Mr. W. H. Jackson.