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).
Letter from Phil Paddon of Paddon Brothers Ltd. suggesting an improvement for radiator shutter operation.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 39\4\ Scan259 | |
| Date | 2nd May 1932 | |
| Copy of letter from Mr. Phil Paddon. PADDON BROTHERS LTD. 60, Cheval Place, Brompton Road, S.W. 7. London. PWP/DR. 2nd May, 1932. A.{Mr Adams} F.{Mr Friese} Sidgreaves, Esq., Messrs. Rolls-Royce Ltd., 14, Conduit Street, W. 1. My dear Sidgreaves, You know I am a Rolls-Royce Enthusiast (or if you don't you ought to!) and possibly you know I am the Pioneer of radiator shutters in England; in fact circa 1921 H.R. Derby, bought a great many shutters of our manu-facture: this introduction is by way of impressing upon you that I have devoted a good deal of thought to radiator shutters. Now Lee Evans kindly brought my new 20/25 h.p. here on Friday, and I noticed that the thermostatically controlled shutters on it failed to shut during at least twenty minutes or so that the engine was stopped, while the car was here, whereas to give the best effect (i.e. to keep your engine warm for the longest possible time when stopped) they should shut immediately. I wish therefore to make a suggestion to your Technical Department, and am writing this in the hope that you will forward it to the most suitable person at Derby, from whom I should be very glad to have a criticism of my suggestion. It is that the shutters should be opened by suction from the inlet pipe, and closed by a spring: a thermostat should be incorporated (of course a very much smaller one would do) controlling a valve in the suction line, so that suction would not operate until a predetermined temperature, say 80°, is reached. With this method the shutters would of course close immediately you switch off, and this is obviously a great advantage. There should be no "inlet pipe leakage", to cause stratification, as in the case of a suction operated | ||