Sheet (4): cross-sectional sketch of a mechanism, handwritten date uncertain

In this document

The sheet bears the number "(4)" circled in the top left corner p. 44. A handwritten date, oriented vertically, also appears but remains uncertain: it has been transcribed as "7-8-1-55", although its exact reading cannot be guaranteed.

The main sketch

The central drawing represents a cross-sectional view of a complex mechanical mechanism, vertically elongated in shape, structured by a central through-axis. One can distinguish:

• a fluted or striated vertical part in the centre;
• on either side, symmetrical elements evoking bearings or bushings, with hatched areas marking the solid parts in section;
• a horizontal axis crossing the assembly, bearing a small round part and a lever or rod at its left end;
• in the upper part, a rounded portion pierced with a circular hole, which could represent an articulation axis or a clevis.

Fine centre lines structure the drawing, in a style typical of industrial cross-sectional drawing.

Additional detail

At the bottom left of the main sketch is a small isolated circle, connected to an elongated rectangular shape: this is probably a detail view or a view at a different scale, but its precise function is not specified by the document.

A handwritten annotation accompanies this small sketch, below the isolated circle; it remains illegible.

Context

Paul Magès conducted numerous research projects at Citroën on suspension and transmission mechanisms, the most famous outcome of which is the hydropneumatic suspension. This type of cross-sectional sketch, with a central axis, bearings and articulation clevis, is characteristic of preparatory studies for automotive engineering mechanical parts from this period — although it cannot be attributed to a specific system based on this sheet alone.

The date "7-8-1-55", if it were to be read as a date from 1955, would place this study in the middle of the development period of the DS, presented that year; but this connection remains a contextual hypothesis, not a fact established by the document itself.

Archivist's perspective

This sheet numbered (4) seems to belong to a series of technical sketches, as suggested by the circled numbering p. 44. It could be a detailed study of a larger mechanism, the additional view at the bottom of the page reinforcing this hypothesis of a set of interconnected drawings.

As the date remains uncertain, it is prudent not to decide on the exact period of writing: it could just as well belong to the 1930s, like other items in the same collection (see the "1933" folder), as to a later period if the reading "1955" proved to be correct.

Without a legend or dimensions visible on this sheet, the precise functional identification of the drawn mechanism remains beyond the reach of documentary analysis alone.