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 from Rudge-Whitworth Ltd discussing issues with hub locknuts and a proposed solution involving a bronze insert.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 159\7\ scan0168 | |
| Date | 11th January 1935 | |
| RUDGE-WHITWORTH LTD TELEPHONE 4001 TELEGRAMS RUDGE COVENTRY RUDGE WORKS COVENTRY GLH/DMP Your Ref: Hs {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} /Rm. {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} 8/KW. Messrs. Rolls-Royce Ltd., DERBY. 11th January, 1935 For the attention of Mr. W. A. {Mr Adams} Robotham. Dear Sirs, We have delayed replying to yours of the 21st ultimo until the hub to which you refer reached us. It has still not come to hand so we conclude it has been overlooked and, therefore, will deal with your other points. We do not think there is anything at all in your mechanics' suggestion that the ears of the locknut cause the nuts to screw up too tight. They are presumably thinking of the inertia of the ears during acceleration. The deceleration of your cars is certainly higher than the acceleration, in which case one would expect that on one side of the car the nuts would unscrew. We are still not very clear where the picking up you refer to occurred, but if it is the locknut cone on the hub shell cone then we appear to have completely eliminated this by the use of a loose bronze insert, which was shown to Mr. Elliott, Mr. Harvey Bailey and Mr. Livsey some time ago, and we are now making a set for you to test. These would probably be of Contd.... MAKERS OF RUDGE-WHITWORTH BICYCLES AND RUDGE MOTOR CYCLES EDWARD DE STEIN, CHAIRMAN. SIR HERBERT E. {Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} BLAIN, C.B.E. DEPUTY CHAIRMAN. MAJOR GERALD R. {Sir Henry Royce} ASHTON. THE HON. J. {Mr Johnson W.M.} MULHOLLAND. FRANK G. {Mr Griffiths - Chief Accountant / Mr Gnapp} WOOLLARD, MANAGING DIRECTOR. | ||