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 to Maurice Wilks of The Rover Company regarding the use of R.R. alloy in big-end bearings and related experiments.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 116\1\ scan0131 | |
| Date | 1st September 1937 | |
| Rml/R.{Sir Henry Royce} 1st Sept., 1937. Maurice Wilks, Esq., The Rover Company Ltd., New Meteor Works, C O V E N T R Y. Dear Wilks, Attached is a report giving our recommendations to enable you to run the R.R. alloy in your big-end bearings. Until you have been successful in running big-ends it does not seem to be any use bothering with main bearings. We should expect the experiment to have more success if you raised the brinell of the crankshaft from 320 to 340, but if you should consider this uneconomical from a machining point of view then we agree to the experiment go-ing forward with the shaft as it stands. We should propose to supply you with the material to make two sets of bearings forthwith free of charge. Should the experiment show signs of promise, further supplies of the material will be handled on a commercial basis. Whilst Mr. Swain was here, he mentioned that he was in trouble with tappets, and we told him how we got out of the difficulty on our own engine. We really seem to have eliminated tappet scuffing, and, therefore, if the trouble persists do not hesitate to let us know as we may have omitted to tell Mr. Swain of something important during the discussion. With regard to the car about which I have been worrying your brother, I was wondering if this R.R. bearing showed any signs of success you would be prepared to let me have a 20 H.P. car with R.R. big-end bearings, as high a compression ratio as you think reasonable, and a lower axle ratio to give a top speed of about 75 m.p.h. at 4,500 revs. This might give you some information, and amuse me at the | ||