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).
Camshaft drive failures, focusing on damping friction and proposing design improvements.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 43\3\ Scan152 | |
| Date | 24th March 1927 | |
| To RG.{Mr Rowledge} Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} from R.{Sir Henry Royce} & E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} X4003 R1/M24.3.27. c. to BJ. Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} RR. F.10. CAMSHAFT DRIVES. X.4003 X.3844 While Mr. Hives was here we discussed the above failure outside such faults as seized shafts and spring drive. I think we should avoid any unnecessary damping friction by seeing if we can do without all of it, because any friction tends to cancel the effectiveness of the spring drive. i.e. test 'without friction in spring drive'. and 'maximum angular clearance'. Having this we should avoid any possibility of unhardened slack - i.e. where-ever there is possibility of slack the surfaces should be hardened. 'Possibly magneto drives both hardened wheels'. We suggest also rubber drive for magnetos (Sim's patent). It will be observed that crankshaft speed variations at 2000 revs. are 12,000 per min., extremely rapid, and hence severe unless there is effective elasticity in the transmission between the source and the inertia. You have now the wheel that sheared its splines fitted tightly on a cone with keys, same as our earlier practice. R.{Sir Henry Royce} | ||