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).
Discussion about designing a suitable petrol gauge for a rear fuel tank, abandoning one design and proposing alternatives for consideration.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\D\January1920\ Scan23 | |
| Date | 28th January 1920 | |
| To BN.{W.O. Bentley / Mr Barrington} from R.{Sir Henry Royce} Copy to CJ. " " DA.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} " " HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} " " PN.{Mr Northey} X.3882 ORIGINAL R1/G28/1/20. 4 RE PETROL GAUGE ETC. ON THE FUEL TANK OF CAR. I have spent a considerable amount of time in attempting to make the petrol gauge on the back tank of the car sufficiently good, and to fill all the conditions:- (1) Pressure feed tank. (2) Centrally fixed so as to be accurate. (3) Can be seen when luggage or spare wheels at back. (4) Not get out of order. We have at the moment abandoned this, leaving it to you to fit the best that can be purchased. I send you a somewhat incomplete drawing of the one we have designed, but I consider that the cost and the undesirable amount of mechanism within the tank makes this, as it stands, prohibitive. A long time ago I heard of a suggestion of telling the amount of petrol in the back tank by the difference of air pressure required to make air enter the tank below the level of the liquid. I shew you in the attached sketch, my modification of this idea, the principle of which is well known, and I am not sure that the application would be found suitable, but I should be pleased if you would make a few experiments to find if it would give any useful results. We also enclose side filler design. I shall be pleased if you and Mr. Day can shew us how the gauge can be made simply and yet thoroughly well. Mr. Elliott has suggested that a mirror might be fixed so that ordinary inexpensive centrally fixed gauge could be read from the side. Do you think this would be satisfactory ? Kindly send blue or photostat of the West WitteringHenry Royce's home town drawing enclosed. R.{Sir Henry Royce} LeC.1195 attached to BN{W.O. Bentley / Mr Barrington}'s copy. | ||