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In message , Ricardo
writes Incidentally, a few sources have claimed that the Packard built Merlin, whilst a superb engine, lacked the power levels of the Rolls Royce version. This, it is claimed, was because the British kept secret the composition of the phosphor-bronze bearings that they used in the engine. No, I can't quote a source/s. On the other hand, I heard - from "old factory hands" lecturing on manufacturing technique at Highbury College in 1988 - that a big difference between Packard and Rolls-Royce was in fitting the cylinder head. Rolls-Royce used a precision hand-scraped metal-to-metal fit. Very effective, though extremely demanding in scarce skilled labour. (Attempting to 'file flat' is a useful exercise for a trainee mechanical engineer; it teaches a certain humility in demanding surface finishes) Packard cleaned up the castings, milled the mating faces approximately flat (at least, compared to a metal-metal seal) and put a gasket between them. I don't recall hearing tales of P-51s routinely or regularly falling from the skies when their engines failed, nor of the Packard Spitfires being execrated for unreliability (or, for that matter, lack of horsepower). -- He thinks too much: such men are dangerous. Julius Caesar I:2 Paul J. Adam MainBoxatjrwlynch[dot]demon{dot}co(.)uk |
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