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).
The lubrication of the universal joint at the back of the gearbox.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\K\October1923\ Scan107 | |
| Date | 12th July 1923 | |
| R.R. 403A (40 H) (SL 42 12-7-23). J.H., D.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} EXPERIMENTAL REPORT. Expt. No. 4348 REF: HsS/LCSO.10. 23. V3324 V4326S To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to CJ. c. to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. to BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} c. to OY. LUBRICATION OF UNIVERSAL JOINT AT THE BACK OF THE GEAR BOX. We have recently sent a standardisation sheet for sheet metal pressed oil guards to be fixed in the sphere to prevent the lubrication leaking away from the joint. Our tests do not altogether agree with the Springfield method of carrying this out. Springfield fix a pressing to prevent the oil leaking out of the gear box end but they allow for a certain amount of oil to leak down the torque tube in order to lubricate the central bearing. In their case this bearing takes the thrust of the axle bevels. For some time they were lubricating the sphere by a scheme of using one of the change speed selector rods as a pump. They have since suggested a scheme of automatic lubrication from the gear box. We have tried both of these methods but we do not think they are sufficiently reliable to be able to depend upon them entirely. In our case we made the best possible job we could to prevent any oil leaking from the universal joint and sphere, still retaining a separate lubricator for the central bearing. On one car we have run 3,900 miles without adding any oil to the universal joint. When it was dismantled there was still some oil and the joint was well lubricated. On another car we have run 1,600 miles without adding oil and the contd:- | ||