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 to the Delco factory regarding experimental battery ignition for the Eagle engine.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 37\1\ scan 046 | |
| Date | 17th April 1918 | |
| X.3199 (For sketches see X.3296) Oy - 6 - FMF - 17.4.18. New York, April, 17th 1918. X.3296. REPORT RE VISIT TO DELCO FACTORY THURSDAY. X.3199. April 4th. 1918. I had the privilege of visiting the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company in connection with the supplying by them of sets of experimental battery ignition for use with the Rolls-Royce Eagle engine. We had approached them on this matter some months ago, but at that time they were so busy with Liberty engine work that they were unable to undertake the experimental ignition referred to. Now, after standardizing and perfecting the Liberty engine ignition, they are in a position to undertake further work, and I understand that they have some work in hand for one of the French engines ( I forget whether this is the Bugatti or the Renault), but the ignition was easily adapted from the existing Liberty engine, the distributor contacts being merely altered in shape so as to take care of the even firing, order, as compared with the uneven firing of the Liberty, due to the 45-degree angle of the cylinders. I showed them the arrangements of our engine, which I had with me, which illustrated to them the possibilities of mounting the ignition, and after a short inspection of the Liberty distributor contact breaker and generator we found a suitable means of adapting the existing ignition to the Rolls-Royce engine, as shown in the marginal sketch. The alteration necessary will be (1) a new bracket to replace the magneto bracket, on which a generator will be mounted, driven by the existing flexible coupling used for the magneto and (2) altered top bevel gear case adapted to carry the distributor by means of a flange with circumferential slot. | ||