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 issues with rivets and brakes on Phantom III and Bentley chassis.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 141\1\ scan0076 | |
| Date | 23th November 1935 | |
| -2- Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/AFM.{Anthony F. Martindale}6/KW.23.11.35. Thank you very much for sending the rivets in non-scoring brass. I am afraid I did not make myself very clear on the telephone, as the rivets you sent were not for a Phantom III but for a 20/25 HP. chassis. I will try them when an opportunity occurs. The only reason we are experiencing slight trouble on our Phantom III is that we are using steel brake shoes, and in order to try to get these to expand as rapidly as the drum, the rivets are in contact with the latter even when the linings are new. As a matter of fact the brass rivets we are using now are not doing half as much damage to the millenite drum as the brass bonding in the linings, but since the drums are in such a dreadful state it is hardly safe to say that the rivets are above criticism, and so I would like to try, with the zinc bonded F.B.A, rivets in your latest non-scoring brass. I enclose a rivet we are using now as a copy, and I should be very pleased if you would have some made for me in this size and shape - sufficient for 2 cars, if possible. It is conceivable that with the better thermal conductivity of F.B.A. zinc bonded Ferodo, we shall be able to revert to our sunk-headed rivets. We are having a good deal of brake trouble at present. The fading of Phantom III brakes is so bad that the car is positively unsafe. However, we are making alterations which I think will cure this. I doubt if we shall be able to standardise F.B.A. zinc bonded when the cars first go on production in January. (These things take time in this firm). We are anticipating trouble with Bentley brakes soon, as we are going to improve the performance of the car without altering anything else. I want to try F.B.A. zinc bonded on this car, but I presume I will be forced to use steel shoes unless our aluminium drums are a success if the thermal conductivity of this material is really higher than M.R. I shall probably send an order through for some of this in Bentley size in a few days' time. When you have quite finished with the photomicrographs, perhaps you would return them, as I have no other copies. | ||