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 Hardy Spicer & Co. Ltd. discussing a shaft failure during dynamometer testing due to heat and seizing.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 148\4\ scan0078 | |
| Date | 7th July 1938 | |
| 1262. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls}8/MH.{M. Huckerby} 7th. July 1938. J.A.Daniell, Esq., Messrs.Hardy Spicer & Co. Ltd., Birch Road, Witton, BIRMINGHAM, 6. Dear Mr.Daniell, Many thanks for your letter. I am surprised that you are casting aspersions on our testing. The shaft we sent you has been running on a complete chassis undergoing a rear axle and gearbox dynamometer test, power being taken from the rear wheels through drums to the water brake. The axle was water cooled and maintained at a temperature of 125°C, this being what we normally get during continued high speed running. The oil seal on the pinion nose did not suffer during the test. When the rear joint failed the shaft cut itself in half on the sheet metal cross-member amidships. We think, therefore, that the heat developed in the rear joint must have been due to its seizing. Yours sincerely, | ||