Sheet 9: three pencil sketches of a mechanical part in section (10 March 1933)

In this document

The sheet bears the handwritten note "(9) 10-3-33" p. 37, which provides its precise dating and sequence number in a series of sheets.

It presents three pencil sketches, without any explanatory textual annotation:

• A first sketch, at the top, shows a mechanical part in section with a symmetrical structure: two vertical lateral uprights connected by a central horizontal axis. Oblique hatching indicates the cut material parts, and small threaded rectangular elements appear on the right side p. 37.

• A second sketch, at the bottom left, smaller, depicts a cylindrical part of small dimension, with a protruding element at the top and bottom; the drawing remains lacking in detail p. 37.

• A third sketch, at the bottom, larger and more elaborate, details a mechanical assembly in section: a central cylindrical part crossed by a horizontal axis, hatching marking the cut sections, a circle with a point that could correspond to a bore or a fixing hole, and a small hook-shaped or lever-shaped part on the left. Several fine, curved construction lines run through the assembly p. 37.

No text, part dimensions, or legend specify the function of these elements.

Context

In March 1933, Paul Magès was working at Citroën on mechanical studies, traces of which can be found in a contemporary folder listing work on gears, injection, the carburettor, or the synchroniser — although this specific sheet is not explicitly associated with them.

This type of workshop sketch, produced in pencil on numbered sheets, corresponds to a common practice of the time for quickly sketching mechanical parts before finalising or manufacturing, in the broader context of the brand's research into automotive mechanics during the interwar period.

Archivist's perspective

This sheet probably belongs to a series of quick working sketches intended to capture a mechanical idea before any more formal development — the numbering "(9)" suggests its integration into a notebook or a larger bundle p. 37.

The absence of a legend makes it impossible to identify with certainty the precise function of the parts represented: it could be an engine sub-assembly or a transmission component, but no textual evidence allows this to be confirmed.

This document is part of a set of workshop sketches from the same period, such as the Handwritten folder "1933": list of studies, which bears witness to Magès' intense activity of technical sketching during that year.