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).
The failure of experimental mild steel and 'fescolised' exhaust pipes.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 6\7\ 07-page155 | |
| Date | 2nd October 1931 | |
| HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} 2.10.31. 32 EXHAUST PIPES. We have been experimenting with Exhaust pipes, and front expansion chambers made in mild steel, and fescolised to prevent scalding, and to lessen the cost of production. The tests up to the present however have not been satisfactory. The fescolised front expansion chamber fitted on 25-EX completely failed before 1,000 miles had been run. The failure was, the material cracked all round the flange of the junction of the down-pipe, and also of the outlet. The fescolising of the pipes may have been the cause as after the failure we had another chamber made of mild steel but not fescolised. This lasted some 8,000 miles before showing signs of failure. The position therefore remains that more experimental work must be carried out before we can reccomend using mild steel, for the exhaust system. We should state that the tests were carried out in conjunction with the diamond mounting of the engine, and as to how much the failure was caused by the diamond mounting we have no proof at the moment. We are trying out another mild steel front expansion chamber and pipes made in a thicker guage on 18-GIV, without any treatment. This is to run 15,000 miles in France. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/ G.W. Hancock. | ||