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 to supplier Jonas Woodhead & Sons Ltd. regarding an order and quality issues with Bentley springs.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 154\1\ scan0336 | |
| Date | 5th April 1937 | |
| 1305 Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Lesll/R.{Sir Henry Royce} 5th April, 1937. Messrs. Jonas Woodhead & Sons Ltd., Kirkstall Road, L E E D S.4. Dear Sirs, We thank you for your letter of the 22nd and 26th instant. I am arranging for an order to be sent to you for two pairs of 5 plate rear Bentley springs. We should like the pair of springs which are grooved on the second plate 14233 to be cadmium plated throughout, and the other pair which are grooved on the under side of the top plate 14231 to be not plated. We have also received the wire interspaced springs to FW.754. On arrival several of the wires were badly out of place. It would appear quite impossible that these wires should remain in position under running conditions. I am rather astonished that you have booked these springs at the same price as the lubricated polished springs, particularly as we were going to test them mainly for your benefit. If the price is really as high as the polished lubricated springs, our interest in them is small. We are returning to you two top plates from the non-cadmium plated springs to FW.754. These had a very bad life on our bumper test rig. One lasted 9 hours, and the other 4 hours 50 minutes. We need to get a life of 50 hours for a production spring. We have run an identical Firth spring which weighs 51 lbs instead of your 54 1/2 lbs for 50 hours, and it is still quite satisfactory. | ||