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 from Vauxhall Motors Ltd discussing bearing wear, preload, and adjustment procedures.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 127\4\ scan0073 | |
| Date | 31th August 1937 | |
| Vauxhall Motors Ltd GRY{Shadwell Grylls} CONTRACTORS TO THE ADMIRALTY, WAR OFFICE & AIR MINISTRY. TELEPHONE NUMBER 2600 LUTON LUTON. BEDS. TELEGRAMS CARVAUX, TELEX, LUTON WHEN REPLYING PLEASE QUOTE → OUR REF: 289/KSW/KW YOUR REF: Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls}9/JH 31st. August, 1937. 1094 Messrs. Rolls-Royce Ltd., DERBY. Dear Sirs, In answer to your letter of the 19th. inst., we would state that we have no record of a failure of this kind in either the Experimental or Service Departments. We have had one case of bearing wear in the Experimental Dept. after 54,000 miles, on the nearside bearing only, but this wear did not cause any damage to the cage. The contact angle is 25º with a very slight amount of preload. This is obtained in the following manner:- The bearing caps are bolted up finger tight. The adjusting nuts are tightened after final positioning of the crown wheel until the outer race of the bearing is seen to move round with the nut. The nuts are then slackened completely away and retightened until all clearance is taken up with no end load. Preloading is then obtained by tightening each nut a further 30º i.e. one slot. Too much preloading would be likely to cause failure of both bearings, the balls and races giving way and finally cracking up the cage. | ||