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).
Quality, sourcing, and potential in-house manufacturing of ball bearings for gearboxes.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 20\7\ Scan030 | |
| Date | 15th May 1915 | |
| To Na.{Mr Nadin} from R.{Sir Henry Royce} Copy to J.{Mr Johnson W.M.} " " Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} C O P Y. COPY. El6/IB15515. May 15th. 1915. OC041. Re Ball Bearings. It is conclusive that we are obliged to fit the best ball bearings we can obtain, on the cars. I have suggested a careful comparison between roller bearings and ball bearings for sweet running in a gear box. This is an urgent matter. I shall also be very anxious to know whether the ball bearings which we can make, give any decidedly better results for sweetness and quiet running of the gears. I understand that excellent balls can be bought in America, but I am not sure what maker I should recommend. I had the impression that they carried the grinding of these balls to finer limits than was the practice in Europe, and as I believe the balls have a lot to do with the running of the bearing, this is an important matter. Referring to our making more or less of the ball bearings which we require, there has always been considerable trouble in getting these of sufficient perfection, especially for the gear box, that we might find it would pay us to do this work ourselves if we could produce a superior quality and we find there is no particular advantage in using roller bearings. I cannot see that we should have to add to the | ||