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).
Causes of a petrol pump failure on Smith Bingham's chassis 3.AZ.196.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 96\1\ scan0092 | |
| Date | 20th April 1937 | |
| To Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} from Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/JBD.{John B. Dixon - Fuel Systems} 361 Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/JBD.{John B. Dixon - Fuel Systems}16/AP.20.4.37 RE: PETROL PUMP FAILURE ON SMITH BINGHAM'S CHASSIS 3.AZ.196 In reply to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}C/E.19.4.37. The Driver's report on the trouble is much as we believed to have been the case in our report Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/JBD.{John B. Dixon - Fuel Systems}1/AP.7.4.37. He has made clear one point, that both sides failed before the valves were touched. The position with regard to the near side unit remains unchanged and it had failed for the reason we gave. By burning out of the armature we presume he means the magnet winding. This does become very hot when the points are unable to break, but we have never had a case of the winding burning out. The repairs made were filing the pole piece to clear the armature and this would have continued to run if set correctly. The off-side unit. The only definite evidence of trouble was the faulty circlip but as the pump failed before the valves were disturbed, the failures must have been caused by:- 1. The circlip faulty in the first place. 2. The contact points stuck owing to dirt and the narrow margin on the setting (only half the usual amount) The cause (2) did not show on the rig. Unfortunately the symptoms when both failed are not given. Though he states the pumps worked satisfactorily after knocking them. This would be true in either case (1) or (2). He makes no mention of both sides overheating which would have been the case if the reason for failure had been cause (2). Thus with the evidence we had and the story we have just been sent, we are unable to state definitely in the case of the off-side unit, whether it failed owing to the circlip being at fault or dirty points and bad setting. For the near-side unit, we state definitely that it was due to the pole piece fouling. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/JBD.{John B. Dixon - Fuel Systems} | ||