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).
Visits to Opel, Daimler, Robert Bosch, and Elektronmetal Foundry, focusing on engine and piston technology.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 142\3\ scan0259 | |
| Date | 29th June 1937 | |
| -3- Opel. (Cont'd). Opel engine using a pressing must save quite an amount by simplified cylinder head coring. It is interesting to note here that the latest Daimler Straight 8 engine has a construction very similar to the Vauxhall 12 and 14 h.p. except that the holes in the cylinder head wall are closed by flanged aluminium cups held to the wall by set-screws through the flanges and making a joint round the base of the plug - the operating conditions of the plug are then normal. Robert Bosch. A well organised visit to a well organised works. The production of large numbers of similar articles enables them to tool up very extensively, and their general machine equipment also seems up to date. The degree of accuracy obtained in pistons and barrels of the Diesel injection pumps is remarkable. The Solex system of gauging is used for this work. Elektronmetal Foundry. The amusing thing about the visit here was that the one thing we did not see was the casting of Elektron-metal. In their museum, mostly devoted to pistons of all types, we were shown some excellent specimens of their work in pressure die cast magnesium alloy parts, but the actual casting process was not shown. Although the Company started by making only magnesium alloy pistons, they make them now only for racing cars, presumably the very successful Mercedes and Auto-Union cars. They are responsible for supplying about 90% of the pistons required by the German motor industry, chiefly in aluminium alloys, though a few cast iron pistons are made. They seem very favourably disposed to the Invar strut type of piston, some of which we saw being cast. In all previous cases where I have seen the die casting of aluminium alloy pistons, a riser has been incorporated in the die on the opposite side to the pourer, but in some of the Diesel pistons (which have an exceptionally thick skirt) only the pourer was used, and enquiry revealed that where experience shows that this can give a satisfactory piston casting, the riser is omitted with consequent saving in the amount of metal required to be melted. (Cont'd) | ||