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 Vauxhall Motors discussing a Chevrolet engine, blue prints, and the switch from silchrome steel to KE-965 austenitic steel for exhaust valves.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 126\4\ scan0131 | |
| Date | 15th May 1936 | |
| X1056 Exptl. Dept. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}10/KW. 15th May, 1936. A.{Mr Adams} Taub, Esq., c/o.{Mr Oldham} Vauxhall Motors Ltd., Luton, Beds. Dear Taub, Thank you so much for your letter of the 7th May. I had not intended to suggest that we should be able to buy next year's Chevrolet engine. From what you said I understood that the car we had bought was out of date and that there was a three-bearing engine already in production. I had no thought of trying to get something on your secret list, and apologise if this appeared to be so. Thank you very much for the blue prints. I have only just returned from abroad so have not yet had time to extract the information from them. As soon as I have done so I will let you have themback. Thank you so much for writing to Mr. Zimmerlie for me re valve springs. Regarding exhaust valves, up till 3 years ago we were using silchrome steel. We had to abandon this material because, when running on Ethyl, the face of the valve seating rapidly deteriorated and finally the valve head would drop off. We changed from this steel to an austenitic steel, KE-965. This has proved itself to be vastly better under high speed running conditions with TEL, its main disadvantage being its high coefficient of expansion, which necessitates the use of wide tappet clearances. We have now made a further move, and stellite the KE-965 valves, which gives quite astonishingly good seat life. | ||