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).
Diagnosis and method for clearing clay-like obstructions from overheating radiators.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 15\1\ Scan134 | |
| Date | 12th August 1929 | |
| To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} X7250 c. to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. to Ne. Hy.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} Hm.{Capt. W. Hallam - Head Repairs} c. to Ov. HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}3/MJ12.8.29. RESTRICTED WATER CIRCULATION. X 7250 X 7180 Examination of radiators from recent series cars that have suffered from over-heating, indicates that the obstruction is almost entirely confined to the top row of tubes. The remainder of the radiator is perfectly clean and there are, in the majority of cases, no signs of tube corrosion. The deposit when dry looks exactly like clay One of the difficulties of the present epidemic has been that the normal caustic soda treatment will not remove this deposit, and depots being unaware of the nature of the obstruction, have been obliged to return the radiators to the works. Actually we find that the deposit can be blown out by inserting a suitably shaped nozzle through the radiator cap close up to the tubes and using compressed air. If this is done with the radiator dry and inverted, the obstruction is blown out in the form of fine dust, the matrix can then be flushed with water still in the inverted position and should then be in a 100% condition. On opening up old Silver Ghost radiators we find a very similar state of affairs but apparently this does not give trouble until the radiator has been in service a number of years. Laboratory tests shew that the type of water used does have a marked effect on the corrosion of the head alloy, | ||