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).
The failure of a 'Buick' battery due to buckled plates and the subsequent repair.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 124\3\ scan0082 | |
| Date | 22th July 1920 | |
| To EFC. from E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Copy to CJ. " " Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} X.3317. RE "BUICK" BATTERY. X.3317 X.607 E2/G22.7.20. The battery on the Buick recently failed in the same manner as the previous one, by running down very quickly, and then not being strong enough even to give a spark when starting by hand. The trouble was on the middle cell, and it was at first thought that a short was occurring due to loosened paste. The cell, however, was taken out of the case and dissembled by removing the bitumen filling at the top. It was then seen that the two out side positive plates had buckled in the manner shewn in the sketch. It is possible that the buckling of the outer positive plates may be due to the preponderance of negative plate area on the outside. and owing to the wooden separators being badly placed the buckled plates had managed to touch their neighbours and create a short. Acting On Mr. Royce's instructions I dropped all the separators down about .100" below the bottoms of the plates and cut two grooves through them to enable the plates and separators to rest as before on the insulated bars in the bottom of the battery box. This seemed to make quite a satisfactory job, and when the battery was reassembled and replaced, it held its charge as when new. Contd. | ||