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).
Questioning the introduction of Nitro Hardened Steel crankshafts due to insufficient testing and potential risks.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 154a\1\ scan0217 | |
| Date | 29th September 1930 | |
| Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} v469 v469 x7010? To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} re Nitro Hardened Steel. Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}33/E29.9.30 Copy to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} Ry. [Strikethrough] Referring to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}2/MJ.19.9.30 and the suggestion that we should allow 50 crankshafts made in the above metal to be fitted into production Phantom cars, when I was at Derby last week I gathered that we were not altogether happy about this metal, and in any case that it would be a long time before it became standardised, and there seemed to be a feeling that this metal was not allthat was claimed for it and that we had yet to discover the "snag". We only appear to have run 16,000 miles on one Phantom II and 4,000 miles on a 20 which hardly seems to me to be sufficient experience to warrant the suggested action, especially as, so far as I am aware, we have not experienced any trouble with our standard crankshafts. If we were to experience troubles of a serious nature such as breaking after even 25,000 miles of use, the danger to our reputation would be irretrievable. Ought we not to build up very much greater mileage on experimental and perhaps other cars belonging to the Company before we should make such a change. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} [STAMP] RECEIVED SEP 30 1930 HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||