Knowledge (XXG)

Miss Shilling's orifice

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engines and did not suffer from this problem as injection pumps kept fuel at constant pressure. German pilots could exploit this by pitching steeply forward while opening the throttle, a manoeuvre that pursuing British aircraft would be unable to emulate. The British countermeasure, a half roll so
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manoeuvre (pitching the nose hard down), fuel was forced up to the top of the carburettor's float chamber rather than down into the engine, leading to loss of power. If the negative G continued, fuel collecting in the float chamber would force the float to the floor of the chamber. Since this float
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inverted V12 powerplant had utilised fuel injection since 1937. During early 1941, Shilling travelled with a small team to fit the restrictors in one RAF base after another, giving priority to front-line units. By March 1941 the device had been installed throughout
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While not completely solving the problem, the restrictor, along with modifications to the needle valve, permitted pilots to perform quick negative G manoeuvres without loss of engine power. This improvement solved the drawback of the RAF's
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manifold pressure and another for the 15 psi achieved by supercharged units. The design of the thimble-shaped flow restrictor was later refined to a simplified flat brass washer.
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This simple measure was only a stopgap: it did not allow inverted flight for any length of time. The problems were not finally overcome until introduction of the
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the aircraft would only be subjected to positive G as it followed German aircraft into a dive, could take enough time to let the enemy escape.
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The Rolls-Royce Merlin engine originally came with a direct carburettor, prone to cut-out due to fuel flooding in negative G.
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was a very simple technical device created to counter engine cut-outs experienced during negative G manoeuvres in early
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with an over-rich mixture. The consequent rich mixture cut-out would shut down the engine completely.
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controlled the needle valve that regulated fuel intake, the carburettor would flood and drown the
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Cracking the Zero Mystery: How the U.S. Learned to Beat Japan's Vaunted WWII Fighter Plane
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Complaints from pilots over engine cut-out during dives and brief
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led to concentrated search for a solution. Engine manufacturer
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produced an improved carburettor, but this failed in testing.
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explaining the Merlins carburettor and the Tilly orifice
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Fuel flow restrictor retro-fitted to Merlin engines
283:Koga's Zero: The Fighter That Changed World War II 51:, it was referred to under various names, such as 330:Negative Gravity, the Life of Beatrice Shilling 75:engine came equipped with dual-choke updraught 246:. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing. 214:Negative Gravity: A Life of Beatrice Shilling 8: 244:British Piston Engines and their Aircraft 20: 199: 180: 265:. London: Arms and Armour Press Ltd. 187: 7: 144:-powered fighters versus the German 367:Rolls-Royce aircraft piston engines 263:The Spitfire Story: Second edition 216:. England: Charlton Publications. 14: 59:in reference to its inventor, 1: 212:Freudenberg, Matthew (2003). 124:, an engineer working at the 126:Royal Aircraft Establishment 383: 332:, by Matthew Freudenberg ( 101:gasoline direct injection 61:Beatrice "Tilly" Shilling 300:Originally published as 47:. Officially called the 67:Engine cut-out problems 30:Miss Shilling's orifice 261:Price, Alfred (1986). 242:Lumsden, Alec (2003). 99:, German fighters had 71:Early versions of the 53:Miss Tilly's diaphragm 43:aeroplanes during the 26: 280:Rearden, Jim (1995). 24: 169:pressure carburettor 146:Messerschmitt Bf 109 130:Farnborough Airfield 155:RAF Fighter Command 150:Daimler-Benz DB 601 159:Sir Stanley Hooker 142:Rolls-Royce Merlin 108:The RAE restrictor 73:Rolls-Royce Merlin 27: 312:978-0-8117-2235-3 122:Beatrice Shilling 97:Battle of Britain 49:R.A.E. restrictor 45:Battle of Britain 374: 316: 297: 276: 257: 228: 227: 209: 203: 197: 191: 185: 93:Battle of France 81:negative G force 382: 381: 377: 376: 375: 373: 372: 371: 357: 356: 347: 326: 324:Further reading 321: 313: 301: 294: 279: 273: 260: 254: 241: 237: 232: 231: 224: 211: 210: 206: 198: 194: 186: 182: 177: 148:E machine. The 114:inverted flight 110: 69: 17: 12: 11: 5: 380: 378: 370: 369: 359: 358: 355: 354: 346: 345:External links 343: 342: 341: 325: 322: 320: 319: 318: 317: 311: 292: 277: 271: 258: 252: 238: 236: 233: 230: 229: 223:978-0954616502 222: 204: 192: 179: 178: 176: 173: 109: 106: 77:SU carburettor 68: 65: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 379: 368: 365: 364: 362: 352: 349: 348: 344: 339: 338:0-9546165-0-2 335: 331: 328: 327: 323: 314: 308: 304: 299: 298: 295: 293:0-929521-56-0 289: 285: 284: 278: 274: 272:0-85368-861-3 268: 264: 259: 255: 253:1-85310-294-6 249: 245: 240: 239: 234: 225: 219: 215: 208: 205: 201: 196: 193: 189: 184: 181: 174: 172: 170: 167: 162: 160: 156: 151: 147: 143: 137: 135: 131: 127: 123: 119: 115: 107: 105: 102: 98: 94: 89: 87: 82: 78: 74: 66: 64: 62: 58: 57:Tilly orifice 54: 50: 46: 42: 39: 35: 31: 23: 19: 329: 302: 282: 262: 243: 213: 207: 202:, p. 32 200:Lumsden 2003 195: 190:, p. 78 183: 163: 138: 111: 90: 86:supercharger 70: 56: 52: 48: 29: 28: 18: 118:Rolls-Royce 91:During the 188:Price 1986 175:References 171:in 1943. 38:Hurricane 361:Category 34:Spitfire 235:Sources 55:or the 41:fighter 336:  309:  290:  269:  250:  220:  166:Bendix 351:Video 334:ISBN 307:ISBN 288:ISBN 267:ISBN 248:ISBN 218:ISBN 95:and 36:and 134:psi 128:at 363:: 305:. 63:. 340:) 315:. 296:. 275:. 256:. 226:.

Index


Spitfire
Hurricane
fighter
Battle of Britain
Beatrice "Tilly" Shilling
Rolls-Royce Merlin
SU carburettor
negative G force
supercharger
Battle of France
Battle of Britain
gasoline direct injection
inverted flight
Rolls-Royce
Beatrice Shilling
Royal Aircraft Establishment
Farnborough Airfield
psi
Rolls-Royce Merlin
Messerschmitt Bf 109
Daimler-Benz DB 601
RAF Fighter Command
Sir Stanley Hooker
Bendix
pressure carburettor
Price 1986
Lumsden 2003
ISBN
978-0954616502

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