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 a supplier regarding the failure of a thermostat during testing.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 156\1\ scan0274 | |
| Date | 5th October 1937 | |
| 1328 Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Std.14/MR. Messrs. The British Thermostat Co. Ltd., Windmill Road, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middx. 5th. October 1937. For the attention of Mr. Martin Hurst. Dear Sirs, Since we have received the four final production type thermostats to EB.3410 from you, we have tested three of these in our cars and have had one failure. The failure consists of the valve head becoming detached from the bellows plate stem. We are returning the pieces to you (untouched) for your examination. The thermostat had only done about 20 miles running on the car, the coolant used was water and Glycol anti-freeze, and the maximum water pressure to which the valve was subjected was 17 lbs/sq.in., the maximum temperature being 85°C. In view of the fact that these thermostats, on your own admission, represent the articles which you will supply for production, we are naturally very concerned about this failure. The writer would like to have your opinion on the matter at the earliest possible moment, either over the telephone, or better still, at our works here if Mr. Martin-Hurst could call for that purpose. It seems to us that (a) insufficient threads have been utilised in the valve nut, this could easily be got over by increasing length of thread on stem. (b) Soldering of the valve head to the stem is defective. | ||