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).
Plain bearings and surface finish, detailing industry visits and participants for a conference.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 178\2\ img083 | |
| Date | 7th February 1940 | |
| Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} -2- OY 3/DS/Feb 7 40 Plain Bearings and Surface Finish 9. Wear Battelle Inst. or Lessels Gen. Mot. The discussions in the afternoon will embrace the Machine Tool, Automobile, Aircraft and Oil Industries, of which a few are cited below: 1. Machine Tool Industry Norton Grinder Carborundum Chrysler Heald Cincinnati 2. Auto and Aircraft Engine Industries Chrysler Wright Gen. Motors Pratt & Whitney Ford Allison Packard Lycoming 3. Oil Industry Gulf Shell Standard Sun Texas (2) On Jan. 22 Lessels and I visited G.M. Research and got a promise that they would take part in the meeting. Our recent visit to Allison had stimulated interest in plain bearings. Since then, as you will have seen from my reports on Chrysler and Micromatic Hone, Blackstone and I took a practical interest in finding out how far the boys had gone in getting real smooth surfaces. At Chrysler we were uncomfortably conscious of being taken for a ride. (See articles on Superfinish in Feb. SAE Journal) AT Micromatic the impression was the opposite. Connor there has so little sense of ballyhoo that both Chrysler and Bower Roller Bearing have stolen his ideas and used them for advertising purposes to a disagreeable extent. Connor, however, is quietly doing his job, supplying honing outfits to Woolich, Napier and the American aircraft engine companies, as well as the local Automobile trade. (3) On Jan. 30, before Lessels came back here, I was called over to Research and set on a general discussion about what G.M. could contribute to the M.I.T. conference. The notes on the discussion are attached. G.M. have a refreshingly unconvinced attitude on a number of matters that Chrysler, for the sake of advertising, accept as | ||