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).
Design suggestions for a valve cover, focusing on noise reduction, sealing, and materials.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\T\January1929-February1929\ Scan157 | |
| Date | 16th February 1929 | |
| E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}) FROM R.{Sir Henry Royce} BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} ) (At Le CanadelHenry Royce's French residence.) C. to SG.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} WOR.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} SECRET R1/M16.2.29. REC'D AT WW.19.2.29. SS.{S. Smith} COVER OVER VALVES. A7060 I fear my suggestions about the above were not of much help. I was alarmed when Derby suggested 4 studs instead of 2 and an awkward felt groove in something we thought need not have an oiltight joint. I like E's suggestion of curved surfaces of the cover for silence - i.e. such curved sheets of metal do not transmit sound so freely or have an audible period of their own. I should have thought however that we should not be able to detect the difference, (it is worth making one to find out) and ought not the cover to have its own core when casting, and if so the curved sides would not be possible. It occurred to me that since we ventilate the thumb nuts holding on the cover we ought not to need a joint round the edge if the inside lip was deep enough. If the cover makes a noise by touching intermittently in the joint it could be cleared away or the studs altered to 3 as in Phantom. It would not matter if the centre one were not quite in the centre of the length, or in line with the other two. The cover is not interchangeable in length one imagines, so that a similar stud could be used to the other two- i.e. one near each end and one nearly in the centre, but for appearance sake your (E's) 3rd. central stud might be preferred. This cover could be light alloy (magnesium or Hall's). I am hoping that Hall's alloy with its 10% saving in weight can be used on all chassis work. The felt may soak up the oil and weep if not really tight, and if only put in for silence we might use cork which need not be continuous, and this would be considerably easier and less costly. This was suggested in my last memo on this subject. R.{Sir Henry Royce} being attended to 21/2/29 | ||