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).
Letter from The Electric Storage Battery Company responding to concerns about battery sealing compound and plate design.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 164\4\ img026 | |
| Date | 20th March 1931 | |
| COPY THE ELECTRIC STORAGE BATTERY COMPANY March 20, 1931. Rolls Royce of American, Inc. Springfield, Mass. Att.Mr. Robert B. Burton Chief Engineer, Chassis Division Dear Mr. Burton: Your letter of March 13th with the enclosure sent to our Philadelphia office has been forwarded to this office and we wish to make the following comments: The use of the clamp terminals and the battery layout, with the difficulties of the cable passing over the battery are problems that we presume you are satisfied to handle yourselves. The statement about sealing compound is unjustified. This compound may be softer than that used in England, but our compound used in this country is the result of a very fair test. Every batch of compound that comes into our factory is tested in the Research laboratory before being used, and we find this compound most satisfactory for all purposes required. We never have any difficulties of hot compound running into cells in service. The statement that the thinner plates used are more easily buckled and will not retain the paste so effectively is unjustified. We are experiencing less trouble today with buckled plates than has ever been experienced in the past. Ill treatment of plates will cause the thicker plates used in English batteries to buckle just as well as our type X plates used in your battery. The design of the grid as mentioned in their criticism, is the same design that we have used for years and have found most satisfactory. Every feature of grid design is used for a special purpose and I am sure that the fact that some of the most important and careful motor car manufacturers in this country have always used Exide batteries with extreme satisfaction would be a certain indication that we know what we are doing in designing batteries as has been our custom. The fact that the battery that is being supplied to your company is also used by Duesenberg and by Cadillac on the V-16 should be an indication of the satisfactory service that is expected of these batteries. The Cadillac Co. particularly, made very extensive tests of these batteries before applying them to their car. Buick is continually making tests at the Proving Ground with the result that our batteries are performing better than batteries supplied by any concern enjoying | ||