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 Birmingham Aluminium Casting Co., Ltd. regarding the incorrect heat treatment of RR.53 alloy drums.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 85\1\ scan0231 | |
| Date | 3rd November 1936 | |
| X206 Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/AFM{Anthony F. Martindale}7/GR.{George Ratcliffe} 3rd November, 1936. The Birmingham Aluminium Casting Co.,Ltd., Bermid Works, Smethwick, BIRMINGHAM. Your Reference APF/MOT. Dear Sirs, We thank you for your letter of November 2nd, in which you confirm that you gave the drums under discussion the solution treatment, i.e. quenched them from 530°-535°C. In case you should ever be asked again for drums in RR.53 or 53c, we should like to inform you that our Laboratory, who are responsible for these alloys, consider the solution treatment to be entirely wrong for this class of work. The drums we have made in RR.53, and which have given entire satisfaction only received the low temperature treatment, i.e., they were soaked at 150-170°C for 10 hours, and then allowed to cool in air (or they can be quenched). We ourselves tried solution treating one of our drum cases, and the result was most unsatisfactory. We have already written to your customer to explain that the choice of alloy was sound, but the treatment wrong. Under the circumstances, we anticipate no difficulty at all when we come to die cast our drums. Yours faithfully, For ROLLS-ROYCE LTD. | ||