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).
Proposal outlining the necessity of a cold chamber for the Experimental Department, detailing various unresolved cold-weather vehicle failures.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 151\3\ scan0311 | |
| Date | 15th March 1935 | |
| To Wor {Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} : X635 Hs {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} /Rm. {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} 23/KW.15.3.35. Experimental Dept. Cold Chamber. We understand that in the present scheme for the reorganised Experimental Dept. no provision has been made for the installation of a cold chamber. It will be remembered that this has previously been discussed and it was accepted that a cold chamber was a necessary part of the development equipment. The following experimental work is directly dependent upon the provision of a cold chamber :- (1) Starting, with reference to the necessary torque to be provided by the starter motor, type of oil to be used, the mixture strength required, and the degree of success to be derived from any automatic form of thermostat carburetter. (2) The relative immunity or otherwise of the engine from piston seizure when started in zero weather. At the moment we have had half a dozen cases of piston seizure on the Bentley, and are handicapped in finding out why these occur and how to prevent repetitions of the trouble owing to having no cold chamber. (3) Axle failures due to the loss of fluidity of the oil at low temperatures. (4) Various parts of our car are entirely unsuitable for cold conditions. For instance, in America the whole of my front brake gear seized up owing to water getting into the cross shafts and forming ice there. We ought to know more about these conditions. (5) We have never yet been able to reproduce the valve spring failures which I had in America owing to having no facilities for running engines at low temperatures. | ||