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).
Technical memorandum discussing improvements to the cooling system, propellor shaft, and instruments.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 91\1\ scan0285 | |
| Date | 20th May 1936 | |
| -4- G-2 Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}11/K.W.20.5.36. Cooling System. We think that we have got a very passable system with which to deliver Ph.III's to the public. The problem of improvement seems to be concentrated to making the car better for climbing conditions, and what we are hoping to do is - (1) Provide a flexible fan to give better air delivery at low speeds, without being noisy or absorbing too much power at high speeds. (2) Improving the efficiency of the radiator matrix, if this can be done without running into vapour lock. There is no doubt that an outside air intake would help us considerably with this latter move. PROPELLOR SHAFT. Our existing type of propellor shaft seems to be fundamentally wrong for the Ph.III where we are so highly sensitive to out of balance. It appears to be a fact that the balance of the joint can be upset by the position of the grease in it. A Hardy Spicer joint on the Bentley has now completed its second 15,000 miles and has given no trouble whatsoever. It is lighter and cheaper than the shaft we are using on production. We are convinced that we ought to go to this type of shaft on Ph.III. Instruments. * We entirely agree with Hancock that apart from the somewhat pleasing acoustic properties of the horns in traffic, they are entirely useless for clearing the road under Continental touring conditions. Additionally they cease to function at the slightest provocation. This seems to be a case where we might with advantage take up the attitude that we appreciate that these horns might be instrumental in selling the car and therefore we cannot refuse to allow them to be fitted, but we do not agree that they are an effective warning device. | ||