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).
Broken front spring plates, comparing special springs with American manufactured springs to determine differences in heat treatment and forging.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 52\2\ Scan169 | |
| Date | 11th May 1928 | |
| C. Hs. {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} X4429 BY3/G.11.5.28. BROKEN ROAD SPRING PLATES FROM SPECIAL FRONT SPRINGS MADE FOR COMPARISON WITH THE AMERICAN MANUFACTURED SPRINGS. Referring to H16/EA.9.5.28. this report only touches the fringe of the subject. It is most important that we should make the most careful and elaborate examination we are capable of in connection with each of the various top plates to determine whether :- (a) the heat treatment of the American is better than ours. (b) Whether the forged top plate shows better results due to its forging than the Thomas Firth top plate, which is produced from a rolled plate with the ends jumped up in a forging machine. The whole issue should be examined from the widest possible view point, as there should be definite evidence in the plates themselves as to why the American made spring would run 26 hours in one case and 20 in the other, whereas none of the springs produced by Firths reached 14 hours. Further what difference the micro-photographs would show between the special springs designed by Firths which gave the longest life of the English made springs, and the worst performance which was given by the Chinese reproduction of the American spring. BY. {R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} BM | ||