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).
Blowers and learnings from Alfa Romeo engines for the Bensport model.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 3\4\ 04-page030 | |
| Date | 11th May 1932 | |
| X4553. To H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} from R.{Sir Henry Royce} c. Mr. Her. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} Pw. K.1/HP.11.5.32. re Bensport etc. We had Mr G.E.T. Eyston here yesterday on the question of blowers. He is the technical representative for the Powerplus. Eyston has had considerable experience with the Alfa Romeo on track, and road, and he severely criticises the 1750 CC. Alfa as regards the water cooling of the head which he says is very poor, and causes valve failure. This is the model that we have, and there is only one small water outlet at the front end of the head. This was made to be definitely improved by fitting a header pipe with junctions all along the head. The valve seats stand up on the 1750, but on the latest 8 cylinder model with aluminium head considerable trouble is experienced. The valve opening mechanism on the Alfa is said to be unsatisfactory and unreliable, and has to be watched all the time, replacements being made for the rubbing pads screwed on to the top ends of the valve stems as these are very liable to fail. With regard to the valve sizes on the 1750 Alfa, these do not appear to limit performance, as when down draught Stromburg's were fitted to the blower in place of the standard horizontal Memini, the performance on Brooklands was put up to 117 miles per hour, where the most the standard equipment will ever do is 106. For a blower the down draught carburetter is a definite advantage as compared with a fixed choke horizontal. We expect to use the S.U. carburetter, which being expanding can be as large as desired. | ||