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 of connecting rods for various Vee engines, focusing on the issue of detaching them before piston removal.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 178\3\ img099 | |
| Date | 7th March 1932 | |
| (To HY.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}) (At Le CanadelHenry Royce's French residence.) R6/45.3.32. Sent from AW. 7.3.32. x 3859. x4486. VEE ENGINES. CONNECTING RODS. I understand that all these engines constructed with integral jackets require the rods, if articulated, to be detached from the master before the pistons be removed. The engines include: (1) Improved Kestrel. (2) " " 'R' (3) 12 cyl. (small private venture.) (4) C. I. engine under consideration. So it is quite an important item in the design. I have studied all the rods we have designed, and the best seems our old friend the 'Eagle', with wider lugs on the master, which are split and fitted with clamping bolt combined with a straight parallel pin like a piston pin. This demands wider big ends or the pressure on the bottom end bearing of the articulated rod becomes too great. What the limit of this can be I do not know, but the C. I. rod looks like 15,000 lbs. per sq. in of projected area. Fortunately in this type of engine it only lasts for an extremely short period. It is 50% higher than the piston pin but it is less hot and better lubricated. The duty of the clamping bolt is easy, being one quarter the rod tension (each). The sizes would be - minimum 1/4 inch for the little engine, 5/16 inch for the middle size (Kestrel), and perhaps 3/8 inch. for 'R' and 'H'. R.{Sir Henry Royce} | ||