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).
Mechanical failures encountered during testing of a 500 c.c. 'Ulster' Rudge unit.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 133\1\ scan0120 | |
| Date | 17th September 1936 | |
| -16- V.{VIENNA} Mechanical Failures. These have caused more delays in the running of the unit than any other item. In the beginning piston seizures were encountered due to running with a throttled air blast and allowing the oil to get too hot. Subsequent failures can be put down to either vibration, or the fact that where the makers run at maximum richness, designing valves etc. for these conditions, all our tests were carried out at maximum economy. The vibration accounts for the Hardy fabric failures, the failure of the coupling splines, and the fracture of four cylinder studs. The increased temperatures consequent on the running at maximum economy account for four exhaust valve fractures which were experienced. In addition to these, there was a slight piston seizure due to excessive detonation, and a further slight seizure and big end failure on the water cooled job, due to the oil temperature becoming too high. A fractured left-hand axle at the very beginning of the tests was due to the speed of the starting motor being too low, and the engine back-firing. This concludes the report on the 500 c.c. "Ulster" Rudge unit. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/J.L.Edwards. | ||