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).
Visit to Vauxhall's to inspect their tank engine and other automotive projects.
Identifier | ExFiles\Box 127\4\ scan0240 | |
Date | 25th October 1940 | |
Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. Jnr.{Charles L. Jenner} 1097 Vauxhalls Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}2/ML.25.10.40. VISIT TO VAUXHALL'S. Mitchell has done a very good job on the Vauxhall tank engine. They started drawing it about May this year and now have five completed engines and are ready for production. It is a 21-litre, side valve flat-12, running at 6.25 c/r on 75 octane fuel. They have done four things which they think are responsible for the results achieved :- 1. They have cast a copper plate with fins on the water jacket side, into the cylinder head in the portion most remote from the valves. 2. They have put a bump on the piston, which has enabled them to increase the throat size. 3. They are using sodium cooled valves with the stem drilled and the head machined out from the top, the cap then being arc-welded on. They said that these are very little more expensive than non-sodium cooled valves. 4. They are oil cooling the piston. Other points of interest were as follows :- 1. They said that the roughness which is evident on our 10 h.p. engine, is due to a flywheel period. 2. They have an 18 h.p. 6-cylinder car running which was really delightful to drive. I think we must complete a drawing of a 6-cylinder, 4-bearing Myth engine, of 2.735 bore, to have as an Insurance policy against the thumper proving undesirably rough for a Rolls Royce car. 3. They were apparently going into production with an 8 h.p. 2-door car with conventional front springing, had not the war intervened. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||