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).
Page discussing engine ignition behaviour, specifically kick-back, backward running, and spark timing.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 37\1\ scan 039 | |
| Date | 22th July 1918 | |
| R.R. 235 A (400 T) (S.C. 520 16-2-16) G.{Mr Griffiths - Chief Accountant / Mr Gnapp} 1546. -3- EFC10/T22.7.18. Contd. had in mind in your R6/G12618. A subsidiary contact breaker such as is fitted to the Liberty Ignition should prevent continued backward running, but this will not, of course, prevent the initial kick-back. (1) (b) In this case, the high tension current during normal forward running (A) Leaps across to the stationary contact point from the trailing edge of the revolving contact arm. B. Passes from the revolving brush to the metal segment just as the brush is leaving the segment. Should the engine rebound on a compression or otherwise, be carried round in the wrong direction, the instant at which the contact breaker points open, finds the revolving arm almost exactly half-way between the two stationary contact points or segments. So long as the spark jumps from the trailing edge of arm or brush (i.e. leading edge when running back) to the contact point or segment corresponding to the same cylinder as for the advance position, it would appear that the engine could not continue to run back, because the ignition would be very early, as regards the back running, and the engine would bounce back again. We have found, however, that both on the Remy 6 cylinder and on our own battery ignition in the fully retarded position, there is much likelihood of the spark jumping from the leading edge (trailing edge Contd. | ||