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).
Inspection report on a Phantom III carburetter (3CFA.19) following a fire.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 93\2\ scan0241 | |
| Date | 19th August 1938 | |
| B88 To By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to Mx.{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} RM{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/GR.{George Ratcliffe}1/JH.19.8.38. PHANTOM III CARBURETTER 3CFA.19. The above carburetter was inspected and tested out on 35.EX. at By's request. This unit had caught fire through a loose plug lead in the vee. This lead had been loose for some time and was hanging free of the terminal which remained on the plug. The fire was of short duration. The method of attaching the cable leads to the terminals is a very poor job and was reported months ago as having a short life and being dangerous. The carburetter in question was found to be correct in every respect, having no sign of fuel leaks. It was reported that fuel sprayed out of the lamp post breather on the floatchamber, when the engine backfired in the carburetter. It was found to be impossible to reproduce this condition. Weak jets and accelerator pump disconnected combined with retarded ignition failed to spray fuel out of the breather. An inlet valve was set permanently open and the engine made to backfire with the carburetter flooding (fuel at the top of the breather) choke closed and an air leak on the suction side of the petrol pumps. Even these extreme conditions failed to eject fuel out of the breather. We therefore conclude that a fuel leak occured in the feed line to the carburetter which became ignited by the loose plug lead in the vee. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/GR.{George Ratcliffe} | ||