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).
Failures of the battery ignition distributor on experimental chassis and proposals for experiments to prevent them.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\N\July1925-September1925\ Scan58 | |
| Date | 12th August 1925 | |
| ORIGINAL To R.{Sir Henry Royce} } from EFC. EPCL/T12.8.25. c. to OJ. Nor. c. Hy.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} c. By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} X.8691 - EAC. BATTERY IGNITION DISTRIBUTOR. We have now received EL/M10.8.25 and E1/M10.8.25. In addition to the points already covered we should like the following to be considered :- We now have had three cases of failure of ignition distributor head on experimental chassis engines by tracking, and it is considered desirable that something should be done experimentally with a view to preventing this. At the same time we have heard of no cases of failures from this cause occurring on chassis in service. It would appear that the distributors on experimental chassis are subject to more severe circumstances than those in customers' hands. At the same time the present failures are an indication and a warning that such failure might occur. It would appear advisable experimentally to produce a form of distributor head in which there is a greater surface distance between the high tension collecting point and the periphery of the contact breaker casing. In this connection reference should be made to our report EFC/T14.8.25 with attached sub-report YB.115 of 5.9.25. Our experiments are there described showing that a bigger voltage than the equivalent of a 6.5 mm. gap in air cannot be sustained internally by the distributor | ||