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).
Petrol tank ventilation to prevent fuel fumes from entering the car body.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 88\5\ scan0075 | |
| Date | 23th September 1933 | |
| X287 To C. from Ha/Lid.{A. J. Lidsey} c.c. Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} R.{Sir Henry Royce} c.c. Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} Hy.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} c.c. Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} FM. c.c. H.H. Ha/Lid.{A. J. Lidsey}1/KT. 23.9.33. X819 PETROL TANK VENTILATION - ALL CARS. In cases where the body is built round the petrol tank filler, we find from tests we have carried out on Bentley cars, that it is easily possible to arrange that no petrol fumes get into the body. The compartment which accomodates the petrol tank filler must be entirely boxed in and sealed off from the interior of the body or luggage boot; there need however be no bottom to it. This arrangement is quite easily carried out and is effective. We have carried out tests in which the car was driven over rough roads, round corners etc, with the filler cap wide open; even under this extreme condition it was not possible to detect the faintest smell of petrol in the luggage boot, (which in this case was the part of the car nearest to the petrol filler). It does not appear, therefore, that it is necessary to go to the extreme of fitting a special breather pipe to the petrol tank. The chief difficulty with this scheme is in finding a suitable space in the body to run the pipe along, and also in finding a convenient place for the outlet end of the pipe. In our own interests we think that all our coachbuilders should be circularised with reference to this: it applies to all 3½ litre Bentley cars; we have examined some of the first bodies on the first fifteen production cars, and whilst some of the petrol tank fillers are effectively sealed off, others are not. Ha/Lid.{A. J. Lidsey} | ||