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).
Proposed solution for overheating by improving radiator efficiency with indented tubes.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 15\1\ Scan400 | |
| Date | 13th October 1930 | |
| To Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} from Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} X7750. X. 766. X. 7250. HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}2/ADM.10.30. OVERHEATING. Ref. Sgll/E13.10.30. We have sent to you today a further report on overheating. The most important point shewn up in these tests is that we can greatly improve the efficiency of our present radiators by adding small indentations to the tube. The theory of this is that with the standard tube there is a film of warm air clinging to the surface, by adding indentations we promote turbulence which breaks up this film. We have recommended this scheme to R.{Sir Henry Royce} before and he is very definitely against it. In order to help convince him we should very much like your permission to make up a radiator which we could send to Mr. Nicholls in Italy. If we could say that we have definitely overcome a customer's bitter complaint by fitting one of these radiators it should be a convincing argument. There is nothing new in the idea of these dents in the tube, for years all cars made in U.S.A. using honeycomb radiators have tubes of this type. All cars ever made by R.R. U.S.A. have had tubes of this type. The tests we carried out at Brooklands on a car which Oy. brought over with him demonstrated that they were very good for cooling. The square tube is slightly better but it is going to be much more expensive, Roy.{Sir Henry Royce} has given an approximate increase of £5. per car. Our chief anxiety is, all the radiators we are now producing with the round tube could be greatly improved in efficiency by the addition of these small indentations. We should like to know whether you agree to us making up a radiator for Mr. Nicholls and if so we should like the chassis number so that we can make sure it is the right type. We enclose herewith a standard tube and an indented tube. HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||