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).
Price comparison and analysis of steel supplied by Firths versus the Alloy Steel Association.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 148\5\ scan0260 | |
| Date | 21th December 1937 | |
| - 3 - BY.1/G.21.12.37. Method of Melting. Firths prices. Alloy Steel Assoc'n prices. Electrically melted. £44. 0. 9d. £40. 9. 0. Open Hearth melted. £38.10. 9d. £34.19. 0. These prices show an advantage in favour of Alloy Steel Association supply :- (a). Electrically melted - 8% less than Firths. (b). Open Hearth. - 8% " " " Firths prices, as they supplied inspected bar, are 6% higher than £44. 0. 9d. quoted, the difference being the inspection charge. It should be noted that even more care is taken to prevent seamy bar passing through than with the 3½% Nickel heat treating type of steel, as faults are more serious in the case hardened variety of steel in the direction of causing machined scrap. GENERAL REMARKS. Whilst we use small amounts of one or two other alloy steels, the quantities are such as not to affect the conclusions either way. There would be a saving in buying Alloy Steel Association's Open Hearth steel against Firths Electric Steel of 16%, but it is evident from the drop forgers quotations that this apparent advantage is almost entirely offset by rejections. My conclusion is that there is very little inducement to leave Firths, in face of the facts as outlined, and that furthermore we have a real gain in the preferential treatment that Firths give us, and the very distinct advantage of having our bars rolled to sizes to suit the cast analyses which enables us to use one single heat treatment for all sizes of bars. If we drop this we would have to face re-tempering every third batch we heat treat, as this represents the retreatments Firths are faced with, when selling heat treated bar to the B.S.I. steel specifications, and as a matter of fact we are the only people to whom Firths will agree to give the concession of graded bars. By our present methods our rejections to Firths are .6 of one per cent, a figure which speaks for itself and which can only | ||