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 Kingsbury Depot to investigate failures in pumps, focusing on gummed up valves.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 106\2\ scan0179 | |
| Date | 1st February 1938 | |
| To By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to MX.{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} c. to Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/GWH.{George W. Hancock - Head Chateauroux} c. to Hd.{Mr Hayward/Mr Huddy} c. to W/N. c. to W/K.{Mr Kilner} REPORT ON VISIT TO KINGSBURY DEPOT. Following our report Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/JBD.{John B. Dixon - Fuel Systems}8/JH.24.1.38. when we were unable to reproduce any failure in four out of five pumps returned as faulty with the possible exception of gummed up valves. I visited Kingsbury Depot. We were of the opinion that at least some of these troubles were due to intermittent faults on the wiring switch and fuses. They assure us at Kingsbury that in the case of a faulty pump they test with the lead direct. Up to the present all reported faults have not been verified on the test rig when the pump is removed from the chassis. We have arranged that this is now done especially on those pumps being returned to us for examination and the fault either confirmed or not on the label attached to the pump. While I was at Kingsbury they reported a complete failure of a pump (G580) taken direct out of stock were gummed up. The inlet valve on one side and the delivery valve on the other. The pump contained a little very stale smelling paraffin and had not been inspected at the works. We have obtained a sample of paraffin from the S.U. test tanks and they have advised us that they are changing the paraffin in the tanks. We are also testing the effect of paraffin on the rubber plugs fitted as dust cover over the unions as this may be the cause of the trouble. In this case the pump had never been run on petrol or other than at the S.U. works. In view of the above case we are more than ever inclined to believe that these mysterious failures can be caused by gummed up valves and that the evidence of it is destroyed in transit. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/JBD.{John B. Dixon - Fuel Systems} | ||