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).
Letter to the editor of 'Motor Traction' regarding lubricating oil supplies and piston efficiency.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 32\3\ Scan048 | |
| Date | 11th November 1920 | |
| COPY. Marlow. November 11th, 1920. To the Editor of "Motor Traction", 20, Tudor Street, London E.C.4. Sir, LUBRICATING OIL SUPPLIES. I read with deep interest the letter by Mr. David J.{Mr Johnson W.M.} Smith M.{Mr Moon / Mr Moore} Inst. A.E. in your current issue under the above heading and I quite concur with the writer's views respecting the importance of this subject. As you are doubtless aware, warnings have been given by well-known authorities of the impending serious shortage of lubricating oils, one of the latest to find utterance being that of Professor Gregory F.R.S. who forsees the time approaching when the use of oil may be forbidden for many purposes. There is, however, one important point where I find myself at variance with Mr. Smith and that is where he states that little can be done to alter the wastefulness of existing engines in the use, or misuse, of oil. I may say that I am responsible for the maintenance of a considerable fleet of Petrol Lorries and in studying the important question of "running costs" the "Allen" Patent Piston was brought to my notice. I have had excellent results, both in respect of "durability" and "efficiency", during some years of experience with the earlier types of the "Allen" piston as applied to Steam and Hydraulics, but it is only during the last few months that it has been perfected for use with all types of "Internal combustion" engines I placed a trial order some six months ago for a set of these Pistons to be fitted to an "Aveling" 4 ton petrol lorry, with the following remarkable results: the oil consumption was reduced from 30 gallons to 5 gallons for a month's running, while the mileage per gallon of petrol over the same period was raised from 4.9 to 6.7, with the same adjustment of carburettor, both results being consistently maintained up to date. I next fitted these pistons to a "J" type "Thornycroft" Lorry, which had completed some 20,000 miles, taking the cylinders as they were without re-grinding the bores. This vehicle has been in constant use with the new pistons since the 8th October up to date, during which time it has completed a further 850 miles and not a spot of oil has been added to the crank chamber, while the float indicator shows the level of the oil to be practically unaltered from the time it was filled on the above date. This astounding result and also the absence of smoke from the exhaust prove conclusively that practically no oil is passing the pistons to the combustion chambers, a very prolific cause of wastage with most engines; and moreover, the driver reports considerable increase of power, while the mileage per gallon of petrol consumed has increased by 1.6 over this period of four weeks. | ||