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).
Square versus round radiator tubes and the design of bonnet vents and shutters.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 24\5\ Scan370 | |
| Date | 27th October 1930 | |
| COPY. X766. To Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} From Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} c. to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} re Radiators & Bonnets. Square Tubes. Overflow Valve and Bonnet Vent. Sgls/E27.10.30. X.7250.X.5260. X.5250.X.1085. X.7260.X.766. I have just seen RL/M14.10.30. I am rather at a loss to understand the first three paragraphs as they indicate that R.{Sir Henry Royce} did not expect much benefit from square tubes - in fact expected them to be less good than standard small round tubes. Can you please explain this point to me as I formerly understood that he had been pressing for the square tubes, expected great things of them, etc. I am very glad if it is not going to be necessary to resort to square tubes, if as I understand, they were going to cost about £5 extra per car. The last paragraph re bonnet vent interests me very much. I saw the first horizontal louvres on 22-EX which Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} brought up to London the other day. I thought they were terrible in appearance. For one thing they immediately clashed with the vertical shutters on the front of the radiator, but the main point that interests me is to see that R.{Sir Henry Royce} is now advocating what I have been asking for since last July, namely up-to-date type shutters in the sides of the bonnet. I wrote to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} as long ago as the 30th. July asking if we could not fit a bonnet up with a set in place of the sliding type of shutters which, as R.{Sir Henry Royce} says, must be about 25 years old in design and are thoroughly out of date in style and method of operation. I do hope that something can be done quickly about this. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} | ||