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).
The failure of the fixing of the Phantom spring drive.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 65\4\ scan0243 | |
| Date | 1st November 1925 | |
| R.R. 49A (50 H) (D.D. 31. 12-6-25) J.H.D. EXPERIMENTAL REPORT. Expl. No. 48020 REF: Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}3/LG28:11.25. To Mx.{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} from Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} FAILURE OF FIXING OF PHANTOM SPRING DRIVE. We have carried out a number of tests on the Phantom engine which you supplied us with, which was one of the actual engines on which the key fixing the spring drive had failed. Before we ran the tests we got RHC.{R. H. Coverley - Production Engineer} to fit the spring drive. We ran the engine under various conditions up to 3000 r.p.m. to try and reproduce the failure. We were not able to reproduce it nor was there any signs of the spring drive picking up on the shaft. We think 3000 r.p.m. is the maximum we should expect the engine to be run. This is well above the speed at which the valves leave their seats so that the driver has obvious warning if the engine is over-reving. The conclusions we have come to as regards the failure is that the engines have been run with a disregard of engine speed (this may have occurred accidently), or that the spring drive was not properly fitted. We attach a note from RHC.{R. H. Coverley - Production Engineer} as regards the fitting of this unit. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||