Improved aero engine cylinder construction with a new steel and rubber ring joint design.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\U\2January1930-September1930\ Scan231 | |
| Date | 24th July 1930 | |
| BX. FROM E. {Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} C. to SG. {Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} WOR. {Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} RG. {Mr Rowledge} C. to HS. {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} DY {F R Danby} /WW. C. to Mr. CLAREMONT. CYLINDER CONSTRUCTION. STAMPED: RECEIVED STAMPED: ORIGINAL HANDWRITTEN: x3866, x4440, x2446 During the discussion of RG. {Mr Rowledge} and HS. {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} on 16.7.30. to WW., R. {Sir Henry Royce} made the following suggestion for improving our aero engine cylinder construction. [Diagram of cylinder cross-section with a label 'STEEL RING'] The idea operates in connection with LeC. 2512., which design provides a good top joint to the cylinder barrel but is not entirely satisfactory as regards the features at the lower end. This lower end R. {Sir Henry Royce} now proposes to make as in sketch. The aluminium water jacket is grooved at the lower end to receive a rubber ring, and after the cylinder barrel has been inserted a steel ring also grooved and containing a rubber ring is forced on to the protruding end of the barrel. This steel ring is quite a close fit on the barrel and when the cyl. block is bolted to the crankchamber it is tightly gripped between the two, and forms a firm support for the barrel and one that will not expand more than the metal of the barrel itself. Moreover by virtue of this latter feature the rubber ring gland should remain tight under all conditions. It will be seen that to make the joint at the bottom end of the cylinder there is first a rubber ring in the aluminium jacket, then a face joint to the steel ring, and a rubber ring in the steel ring, the last two acting in parallel and capable of being rendered more leakproof under all conditions than what we have now. It will be understood that there are 6 steel rings on the bottom of each cylinder block all of the same vertical thickness, one for each cyl. barrel, and flatted on the sides where they are close together due to the cylinder pitch. This new construction as described above should be patented. Regarding the question of altering RRF. cyls. it was intended to first add the extra cyl. studs to the present design, thus making it like the H. {Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} & R. {Sir Henry Royce} engines, and then follow on later with the new construction described in this memo., which hitherto has had only four main studs. It is now however proposed to make the new construction with the extra studs so that it will fit the crankcase modified to suit move 1. E. {Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} | ||
From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).