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).
Methods to improve the cooling of the front seat space by addressing heat from a vacuum effect and proposing ventilation solutions.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 75\4\ scan0181 | |
| Date | 27th June 1919 | |
| Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} from Bn.{W.O. Bentley / Mr Barrington} Copy to R.{Sir Henry Royce} EH. Sp.{Mr Spinney} X819 Bn{W.O. Bentley / Mr Barrington}5/27.6.19 X819 DE COOLING OF FRONT SEAT SPACE. The discomfort experienced during warm weather from the heat in the front seat space is, as you know, reoccurring, and at a Conference on this subject during the Conference held in London on June 19th it was agreed that further efforts should be made to avoid this. It was agreed that the trouble arises chiefly from the vacuum caused by the scuttle and wind screen which draws the air from the interstices in the floor boards and the pedal gap, etc. The efforts which we have previously made to break this vacuum by means of ventilators was felt to have failed probably because the amount of air which we could take in by this means was quite inadequate, and the vacuum which we have to contend with is of very large capacity. The direction in which we wish to move is to reduce as far as possible the leakage through the floor boards by making the joints in the floor boards horizontal instead of vertical, and to avoid shrinking of the floor boards by trying, for example, American Mahogany, and later perhaps to attempt some fitting, where the pedal lever passes through the floor boards, to fill up this gap for which purpose it may be found that the design of pedal lever will have to be entirely altered. We must also attempt to devise some means whereby a very large amount of cool air can be forced in to the front space by means of improved ventilators of large capacity. It is difficult to undertake this as the scuttle is made by the Coach Builders, but if we can prepare a model which works satisfactor-ily no doubt Coach Builders would be glad to adopt it at our request. In this connection will you please consider the possibility of forming a gap of say 1/4" with round the curved top of the scuttle to the junction of the wind screen, or alternatively at the junction of the dash and scuttle. This, being curved, cannot be fitted with a shutter but this space might open into a box under the scuttle which could end in either a single straight line or two straight lines meeting at a point in the centre which would be then closed by means of one, or in the latter case two shutters. The formation of this gap would have to be carefully considered to avoid the entry of rain. The "Packard" employs a very long straight gap for this purpose which is remarkably effective. I will discuss this matter in detail with you and we might try to fit it to Chassis En. Bn{W.O. Bentley / Mr Barrington} | ||