Connecting rod failure during engine testing and proposing further stress tests.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 12\4\ 04-page36 | |
| Date | 7th March 1914 | |
| From Ex. Dept. Copies for: J. {Mr Johnson W.M.} R. {Sir Henry Royce} E. {Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Na. {Mr Nadin} Re Connecting Rods. We fixed up another dynamo on the engine test plate to keep the test going. No. 2 connecting rod broke, similar fracture to the others, after running 2½ hours at 2250 revs and 30 minutes at 2500 revs. with 78 lbs compression. It had previously run 9 hours at 2250 revs. and 30 minutes at 2500 revs. with standard compression. I consider we should test these rods made of mild steel, which has proved so successful on the present rods. To prove whether an out of balance piston is likely to break the rod I suggest we fit up an engine with standard rods with pistons considerably out of balance and see if they fail. One thing we have got to keep in mind is that the present rods have stood up under much more severe tests than we have at present given to these new rods, also they have always had much heavier pistons fitted than those we have on the machined rods. [Handwritten on left margin]: X70-6 [Handwritten on bottom right]: R | ||
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).