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).
Report page detailing tests on a pinion and crankshaft engagement mechanism using a teazer circuit.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\Q\2-July1927-September1927\ 12 | |
| Date | 8th July 1927 | |
| Contd. -3- EFCL/T8.7.27. teazer current only the pinion would gradually work itself out until it reached back to the actuator box push rod, corresponding finally to that small degree of engagement only (remembering that the actuator plunger is still positioned towards the pinion by the actuator current). On application of the main power the pinion would re-engage fully and continue in full engagement even though the crankshaft was only being turned light. Having applied the main power, the teazer circuit was switched off and afterwards the main switch was switched off. The crankshaft would then, in trying to keep the motor going, tend to cause disengagement, but could not always succeed in the 5º case. In the 20º case it would easily succeed. Another group of tests consisted in locking the crankshaft temporarily whilst the teazer circuit was operated. In the 5º case, over a fair number of trials one jam was produced naturally, but could not be reproduced with a reasonable number of further trials, i.e. satisfactory preliminary engagement took place on every trial. Having removed the lock on the crankshaft and put on the main current, or otherwise assisted the pinion into full engagement, it was found that a violent accelerative torque applied to the crankshaft was necessary, in order to cause disengagement. Now doing the same with the 20º spiral, we could not produce a natural jam at all, and disengagement took place quite easily on turning the crankshaft. Contd. | ||