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).
Modified method of engagement for a Spectre starter, comparing it to a previously discarded design.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 62\1\ scan0297 | |
| Date | 16th February 1935 | |
| SECRET. 86134. To Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Wst. from E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} ----------------- E.11/HP.16.2.35. ----------------- c. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} Mx.{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} By/RD. Modified Method of Engagement for SpectreCodename for Phantom III Starter. ----------------- Referring to your memo Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Wst.7/MA.7.2.35, the scheme you describe appears to me to be an old one which we tried in the early days of our investigations with self-starters and discarded because it had the fundamental fault of not rotating the pinion for effecting an engagement and was thereby very subject to bulking. It was for this reason that we went to teaser winding which rotates the pinion slowly and surely during the engagement period. Another objection is that with a partial engagement the friction on the splines of the solenoid operated pinion becomes great enough to prevent the engagement being completed unless a very large solenoid be used and then the large solenoid under free conditions has too much power to make a quiet engagement. Actually as you are aware we added a solenoid to assist the existing sequence starter motor on the tank units for operating the engagement with the engine tilted longitudinally at a steep angle, but in this case the motor was still providing the necessary rotation for engagement. We should, therefore, like to know if you consider your proposal differs in any way from the scheme which we tried and discarded. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} | ||