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).
Manufacturing issues and potential solutions for oversized front axles on the New Phantom chassis.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 67\2\ scan0175 | |
| Date | 29th September 1925 | |
| X8420 BYB/H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} 29.9.25. c. CJ. c. HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} . FRONT AXLES. ---------------- Referring to Dal/M.{Mr Moon / Mr Moore} 26.9.25. with reference to the question of the front axle being oversize on the New PhantomCodename for PHANTOM I chassis, this is always the trouble we find ourselves up against except when the dies are new or have been re-sunk. The rapidity with which dies will open out in use is a matter that we have taken up on several occasions with our suppliers, asking them to try and improve the quality of the material of their dies or the quantity of it, but we have never succeeded in being able to obtain a product which does not vary considerably within a comparatively short time when comparing the parts taken from the dies in the first place and those delivered after the first hundred or so have been struck off. We have tried on different occasions to bring our drop forgers to the point of using finishing dies which is the only method that I can imagine is likely to give us regular results, but although I believe this process is used in U.S.A., in this Country it is a new process and one which drop forgers are very loath to start upon. The impression from the dies from which these axles were produced was in the first place carefully examined by myself in conjunction with the Inspection Dept. and as a matter of fact I passed the dies when the sections of the parts were undersize to the extent of .025 on the edges. This will give you some idea of the rate at which the dies open out and the difficulty which is encountered in attempting to obtain a sufficient production of axles in an alloy steel under such conditions. As a matter of fact, on seeing the American car I at once wrote to the Order Office asking them to obtain samples of the different forgings from America, and also a set of sample springs, with the object of getting our drop forgers together in one case, and putting the springs before our spring makers in the other, to see if it were not possible to get to such a position that we could, by actual examples, get our drop forgers to give us a product nearer to what we were asking for. My experiences at the moment are such as to convince me that the only way out for the present at least, is to machine wherever possible, and in the case of two or three forgings recently which I have noticed when going into the Works, I have machined the parts all over as the only way of getting rid of the weight, and it seems to me Con. | ||