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).
Failure of cork washers in the Bijur Starting Pinion and proposing a new assembly method.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 40\5\ Scan138 | |
| Date | 20th December 1923 | |
| Mr Brock. e.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} BP c. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} e.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Mr Davis. X3587 BY9-P20.12.23. BIJUR STARTING PINION. RE CORK WASHER. Owing to us having had two or three cases already in which the agglomerated cork washer has absolutely fallen to pieces in service, due in my opinion to the fact that they have been soaked originally in oil, and since Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}, is considering the use of materials like Ferodo and Halo, it is evident that the soaking in oil is not a necessity, and in my opinion, is wrong. I therefore propose that we should at once stop the practice of soaking these cork washers, instead of which they should be put up dry with just the slightest touch of vaseline smeared round the face of the cork. The vaseline is more to act as a preventative against rust taking place on the metal surface opposing the cork than for lubricating the cork itself and therefore it simply means that a finger greased with vaseline is rubbed over the single face of the cork before assembling. BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} MADE AT CROXLEY | ||