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).
Failure of a new epicyclic gear due to lubrication issues in the planet wheel ball bearings.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\D\March1920\ Scan60 | |
| Date | 22th March 1920 | |
| R.R. 235 A (100 T) (S F.{Mr Friese} 846. 6-8-19) G.{Mr Griffiths - Chief Accountant / Mr Gnapp} 2460 To C.J. from Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} ORIGINAL C-R HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}2/LG22.3.20. X.3372 RE. FAILURE OF NEW FRICTION ANCHORAGE EPICYCLIC GEAR. X.3168 The lubrication of the planet wheel ball bearings which have lately given trouble has never been altered since we made the first Eagle engine. From a design point of view, all the gears we have ever made should be liable to the same fault. When Mr. Royce designed the new epicyclic gear for the Eagle engine he did not alter the lubrication of the planet wheel ball bearings because the accumulated experience of engines on test and engines in service had shown that this part had given no serious trouble. Part of the design of the new gear was, however, to pour an extra oil supply on to it. This should, of course, increase the amount of oil in the gearcase. The gears which were used on the Atlantic flight and the Australian flight and in fact practically all the gears which are in service are running without the latest improvement mentioned in this correspondence. The failure of the planet wheel ball bearings has only been brought into pre-eminence lately. After a great number of new gears had been made and passed satisfactory on test there was an epidemic on test of the planet wheel ball bearings failing after 2 or 3 hours running. One could point to numerous similar gears which had run for 100 hours without giving trouble in this respect. The examination of the failures pointed to the fact that there was insufficient lubrication and for that reason a modification was made which would provide more lubrication to this part. From the attached correspondence it is only assumed that the gears which have failed have been due to (Contd). | ||