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).
Chemical analysis and conclusion on a deposit found within an engine crankcase, sent by the Chief Chemist of C. C. Wakefield & Co. Limited.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 145\2\ scan0005 | |
| Date | 15th March 1932 guessed | |
| 4. Carbon 72.43 Hydrogen 3.33 Oxygen 19.05 Mineral Matter 5.19 The very high oxygen content removes from our minds the possibility that the benzene insoluble contains very much free carbon or coked oil, but we must find an explanation in some other way. We know that this engine has been run at 90°C at an average speed of 45 m.p.h. for many hours. We do not recall ever having had an opportunity of examining any deposit from an engine after being run under such conditions, but the figures obtained clearly indicate the usual type of oxidation of the oil in the crank case. There seems to be a little more iron oxide in the deposit on the crank web than usual, which would assist in the deposition of solid matter. Naturally we do not feel competent to express any opinion upon the amount of deposit from the crank journal under the conditions of this particular test. We should like to have done the ultimate analysis of the deposit from the crank web but we had so little at our disposal that we were unable to fulfil our desire, but we do not think this matters very greatly, because of the high oxygen content of the deposit off the piston head. Our general conclusion is that vigorous oxidation must have been occurring and it will probably be found that this is mainly due to the high temperature of the oil in circulation. Yours faithfully, C. C. WAKEFIELD & Co. LIMITED. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} A.{Mr Adams} Evans.............CHIEF CHEMIST. | ||