Another thing I learned today

[Timleech]

Following on from my post in 'History & Heritage' re the Gardner J 'Heavy oil engine' booklet.

Two things have made an impression.

One is that Gardners' reluctance to call their engines 'Diesels' seems to stem from the fact that Dr Diesel's idea was for a compression-ignition engine which burned its fuel at constant pressure, whereas Gardners reckoned theirs burned at constant volume. They go into this at some length, to the extent of including indicator diagrams. Most real world engines fall between the two stools.

 

The other is their design of small end bearing. Two-strokes have a particular problem with small ends, because the loading is always in the same direction, and rotation is limited, which makes it difficult to maintain an oil film in a simple 'sliding' bearing. Needle rollers are often used, and the book tells us that Gardners did test these with some success, but that they eventually settled on a 'rolling bearing' design used by Kromhouts, and Gardners used it under licence. This may be familiar to Kromhout owners, but new to me and it takes a bit of thought to understand what at first seems a rather strange idea.

 

 

This suggests collaboration between Gardners and Kromhouts wend back to the mid-1920s if not earlier.

 

Tim

Edited June 1, 2014 by Timleech

[Split Pin]

The use of the rolling small end goes back even further

A page from the "T" type catalouge showing the same arrangement

"T" types first appeard in 1913

[Timleech]

The use of the rolling small end goes back even further

 

A page from the "T" type catalouge showing the same arrangement

 

"T" types first appeard in 1913

The 'J' is obviously a direct descendant of the semi-diesel 'T'. I wonder whether there were other collaborations with Kromhout on the design?

 

Tim