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 discussing forked big-end bearings, low silicon issues causing low brinell hardness, and proposing a new trade name 'Rollium' for the alloy.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 115\5\ scan0209 | |
| Date | 2nd December 1938 | |
| 1020a Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}5/R.{Sir Henry Royce} 2nd December, 1938. F.{Mr Friese} Blackith, Esq., Wellworthy Piston Rings Limited, LYMINGTON, Hants: Dear Mr. Blackith, Many thanks for your letter of December 1st. In view of what you say about the tank engines, I am proposing to ring up Mr. Luyks and ask him to come over to see the various forked big-end bearings we have made. Unfortunately, in many cases we have scrapped all except one sample, and, therefore, do not want to let the pieces go out of our hands for fear we should lose them and be unable to refer to them later. I attach herewith our Laboratory Report on the bearings which you submitted to us, from which you will see the difficulty in getting a low brinell hardness is due to low silicon. I am sending a copy of the report to High Duty Alloys, and presume that you will take the matter up with them and get the right quantity of silicon in the material in future. I am trying to interest both Humbers and M.G's in the R.R. Alloy, and will let you know what success I have. Incidentally, I had a letter from your General Manager, who suggested that we ought to have a Trade Name for the bearing alloy, the one which he put forward being Halls Metal R.R.A.A. This seems to me to be a bit of a mouthful, and our own suggestion is that the material should be called "Rollium", and if necessary to qualify it until it becomes well-known, its full designation might be "Rollium - Rolls-Royce Bearing Alloy." If Mr. Howlett does | ||