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).
Design and manufacturing considerations for the new 'Phoenix' engine unit.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 111\2\ scan0236 | |
| Date | 24th August 1937 | |
| SECRET 850. To RHC.{R. H. Coverley - Production Engineer} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}4/AP.24.8.37 1044 In designing the engine unit for the Phoenix, we want to co-operate with Production as far as possible. As you know, this engine unit is going to have a monobloc cylinder and crankcase casting with a 7 bearing crankshaft. The Peregrine was exactly this sort of unit, except it has more space between the cylinder bores than we are proposing to allow. The Peregrine patterns are still in existence. We suggest that you might help us and also yourselves at the same time, if you could have a little practice with Peregrine castings and tell us what high spots there are which make the casting easier or more difficult. The other point is that we are proposing to go to a pressed steel bottom half as this is lighter and less costly, but it does present certain difficulties with regard to making an oil tight joint round the back end of the crankshaft. The 25.HP. Vauxhall shows how this is being done in large Production today. We should like to know whether you could make a job of this. Oscroft could probably tell you how well the joint actually stands up in service. Can you allot somebody to always be available to discuss the engine with us from a manufacturing point of view as we go along with the design.? We are going to give you drilled oil passages like the Vauxhall. If I could get the costs put against the weight details in the Bentley file I gave you, I could see some of the high spots to be avoided in the new design. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||