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).
Lubrication schedule and method for the Phantom chassis universal joint sphere.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 31\3\ Scan094 | |
| Date | 8th October 1928 | |
| EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} BY/NW.{N. Walker - Patents} C. Hm.{Capt. W. Hallam - Head Repairs} C. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} C. DA.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} M457 BY9/G.8.10.28. PHANTOM CHASSIS (UNIVERSAL JOINT). SPHERE LUBRICATION. Your memo ref. EP{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer}/H.1.10.28. We have no objection to altering the instruction book to provide lubrication at the rate of half a gun-full every 500 miles instead of one gun-full every 1000 miles. The method of lubricating the pins in this joint has always appeared to me to be open to question. Obviously enough oil cannot be filled into the joint to allow the inner end of the bush where the lubricating grooves are to fall below the surface of the oil, and therefore the lubricant can apparently only enter as the result of oil trickling down the joint face on to the interior and then working up the next time the car is driven, but it would appear that if the car were driven continuously for a long time (we would say for instance driven for a week at 200 or 300 miles a day in a country like France), then no oil would reach the joint during the whole running period unless the car was stopped. If a small catcher were arranged on the inside of the sphere so that it trapped some of the oil swirling round the inner surface and dropped the oil in question on the boss of the driven shaft, then continuous lubrication would be possible. We roughed out such a scheme some years ago, but it never got anywhere. We still think it is desirable. In the meantime we will alter our instruction book as suggested. GWH{George W. Hancock - Head Chateauroux} Please see me BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} By HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||