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 discussing the superiority of British Oak over Hickory for wheel spokes.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 28\4\ Scan011 | |
| Date | 5th December 1911 | |
| TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS: "SOUND, COVENTRY." REGISTERED OFFICES: 14, REGENT STREET, LONDON, S.W. TELEPHONE No. 273, COVENTRY. DUNLOP RIM AND WHEEL Co., LTD. WHEEL AND RIM MAKERS. ALMA STREET. COVENTRY. Messrs Rolls Royce Ltd Nightingale Rd, Derby. [Handwritten Note:] I.C. / 7/12/11 [Handwritten Note, circled:] 95.1 5th Dec.1911. Dear Sirs, We are in receipt of yours of the 2nd, reference N.15/B, 21211, regarding Oak spokes in the wheels which we have supplied to you. In the writer's opinion there is no better timber to be had for the spokes of motor wheels than carefully selected British Oak. It satisfies most of the conditions in a better way than any other timber he knows of. No doubt hickory will stand more shocks for a time, but owing to the varied climatic conditions in this country, it does not stand the weather, because hickory quickly deteriorates immediately water gets at the tang of the spoke where it enters the felloe. Hickory timber then becomes very brittle, and breaks very suddenly without any warning. Oak timber resists the climatic conditions better than any other, and providing the spokes are made a suitable strength to take the load they are to carry, the writer is satisfied that British Oak will give quite as good a result as any other timber. We are so strongly of opinion that British Oak is best for the purpose, that we have never used any quantity of other timber although we have experimented with hickory and other wood, but we | ||