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).
Visit from the Air Ministry to discuss the Junker two-stroke compression ignition engine.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 179b\3\ img292 | |
| Date | 3rd March 1933 | |
| To R.{Sir Henry Royce} From Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to Rg.{Mr Rowledge} By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to Fl. Lb. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}4/WJ.3.3.33. X4433 X1485 VISIT OF MR. TWEEDIE 1.3.33. Mr. Tweedie of the Air Ministry and Mr. Bielby visited us on Wednesday the 1st. inst. The points discussed were as follows :- Compression Ignition Generally. The A.M. have decided to purchase a Junker Two-Stroke Compression Ignition engine. This engine is to run a Type Test at the Junker factory under A.I.D. observation. This engine has already completed a satisfactory Type Test under the International Schedule. If the results of the Type Test are sufficiently promising, they will give an order to Napiers, who have purchased the rights, to build a small number of engines. These engines will be ordered by the D.T.D. Department, and not the Research Section. This means that they are taking the C.I. engine out of the Research Category and expect to give it a job of work to do in an aeroplane. The Junker engine has established a reputation in Germany. There are a number of these engine in daily service on the Civil Air Lines, and the results which are being obtained are far better than anything which has been obtained in England. Approximate particulars of the engine are - 750 max. HP. 1500 lb weight. MEP. over 100 at 1600 or 1700 RPM. They appear to have some special arrangement for cooling the exhaust piston which has overcome their trouble of gumming rings. Mr. Tweedie was disappointed with the proposals which we had put forward with our scheme for two-stroke engine. The anticipated performance is very much below that which has been Type Tested on the Junker. Our results are given for the complete engine. This is understood to mean that after we have made our experimental unit, and after this has gone through the period of development on the final engine which must be looked upon as three or four years hence, we are only anticipating results which are far below those which they can buy 'over the counter' at the present time. The impression arrived at by Mr. Tweedie, and we believe others at the Ministry, after considering our proposals was that we do not wish to make the engine and therefore there was no need for us to show an attractive performance. The position of our engine at the moment is that it will most probably be rejected by the A.M. Mr. Tweedie was of the opinion that if we really wished to make this engine then we | ||