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 from The Autocar magazine discussing new automotive features, including a 'slamless' door lock, a wax-pellet thermostat, and a non-detachable fuel filler cap.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 128\3\ scan0008 | |
| Date | 16th December 1938 | |
| December 16th, 1938. The Autocar 1133 [Image 1: Door Handle] New door lock which does not need slamming. [Image 2: Filler Cap] Non-detachable “trap-door” filler cap. [Image 3: Lock Mechanism] Mechanism of the Wilmot-Breeden “slamless” lock. Diagram Labels: VERTICALLY SLIDING PLATE, CAM, CATCH PLATE, SEAR, BENT, LIP, VEE SOCKET, VERTICAL BOLT. [Column 1] the need for a by-pass pipe is eliminated. In principle this thermostat is slightly similar to the Bourdon type of pressure gauge. It consists of a crescent of a special flat-section tube of non-corrosive stainless steel, which is also not affected by anti-freezing mixtures. The tube is filled with a special kind of wax and then sealed. The principle involved is the increase in volume resultant upon the changing of a substance from a solid to a liquid state. When cold the wax in the Bourdon tube is solid, but as heat is applied, directly the melting point of the chosen wax is reached the tube expands and straightens, thereby lifting the valve to which it is coupled. Waxes are available with different melting points which vary between 32 and 81 degrees C. After the wax has melted no further movement of the thermostat takes place as the temperature is increased to the boiling point of water. If the temperature drops below the melting point of the wax, the valve is closed by the thermostat. The range of valve movement obtainable with the standard size of the new thermostat is 3/8in., but with a longer tube this may be increased to 5/8in. In this thermostat, as arranged for car engines, the wax melts at 81 degrees C., which means that at 79 degrees the valve is shut, and at 83 degrees it is fully open. Although such a simple item, the fuel tank filler cap can be a considerable source of bother. When the driver pulls in for a fresh supply of fuel, quite a number of little nuisances are—or were—liable to occur. Caps which screwed on [Column 2] were apt to get cross-threaded, those which clipped on did not always do it, and both were liable to get lost. Caps with retaining links and a spring fastener were decidedly an improvement, but the latest Wilmot-Breeden cap should be free of all trouble, because it does not detach. It just consists of a circular trap door, held up closed by a spring. When the petrol pump filling nozzle is pressed against the trap door it opens and lets the nozzle pass down into the orifice of the tank. When the nozzle is withdrawn, the trap door shuts. The spring is strong enough to close the trap against water when the car is on the wash. A very frequent cause of rattle is to be found in window glasses, and although felt is put in to act as a silent guide, in time it may wear or become compressed so that the glass fits slackly. To secure an improvement Wilmot-Breeden have produced stainless spring-steel window guides. These consist of a channel section with the flanges recessed outwards at the base, and rolled over and inwards at the edges. These edges lightly grip the glass under spring pressure. [Column 3] Yet another new accessory is the W.B. car heater. This consists of a box containing a radiator which is connected with the water-cooling system. At the back of the box is an electric motor driving a fan, and at the front two splay doors which can be set to any desired opening. When the fan is switched on, warm air is distributed through the car. Two extra outlets are provided from which pipes may be taken to a pair of defrosting orifices on the windscreen rail. Two further items need mention. One is a new type of oil filter which is fitted on the new cars. The filter is not made to be changed for a new one at intervals during the rest of its life. The oil enters the bottom of a star-section pack of closely pleated cloth reinforced by perforated metal. The filtering area is very large, and any tendency is for foreign matter to fall to the bottom of the filter case. The other item is an improved type of balanced window control, in which the glass is opened by the gear quadrants and remains in any position without a catch by means of a spring balance assisted by a device rather similar to the friction type shock absorber. The two quadrants, however, are radially serrated and locked together by spring pressure. FEWER CORNERS IN WALES EVIDENCE of an enlightened “corner cutting” is in existence on the main Aberystwyth road from the Midlands (A.44). At a number of points both before and after the climb over Plynlimmon many awkward bends have been eased, and narrow stretches of road containing dangerous corners have been “by-passed.” The old sections of road are still to be seen adjoining the new at several places. Previously, the road was one of the most winding main road sections in the country. [Image 4 Caption] An instance of corner-easing in progress on the main Aberystwyth road (A44), in Central Wales, near Llangurig. A 21 | ||