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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).
Failures in Phantom Water Pumps due to a design flaw in the bearing lubrication system and the proposed solution.

Identifier  ExFiles\Box 66a\3\  scan0126
Date  3rd September 1926
  
11-o 4/9/26 X 8150

Hm.{Capt. W. Hallam - Head Repairs}
c. HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}

BY17/H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} 3.9.26.

PHANTOM WATER PUMPS.
-------------------

The two failures referred to in Hm{Capt. W. Hallam - Head Repairs}/NRC{N. R. Chandler}12/D.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} 2.9.26. have one and the same cause, they are not two distinct phenomena.

The original cause of the trouble is the design by which a double gland is fitted on each side of the scheme for lubricating the bearings. The inner bearing is lubricated by the scheme, the outer bearing cannot get oil.

As explained verbally, we recently cut three deep grooves through the outer packing to enable the oil to get past the packing on to the outboard bearing. Since doing this, we have had no failures.

We have instructed a number of packings to be handed over to the Experimental Dept. for Depots etc., treated in this way, and in our opinion this will clear up the trouble.

We pointed out the fault in the design originally to West WitteringHenry Royce's home town. We also discussed it with E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} and in addition we have two designs of our own running in the Experimental Dept. to overcome the trouble, in addition to the somewhat crude scheme of letting oil past the outer gland by grooving the packing.

BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer}
  
  


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