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).
Oil leakage issues with Luvax dampers on the Nairobi Phantom III and suggesting testing rubber glands.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 152\1\ scan0322 | |
| Date | 19th May 1937 | |
| [Handwritten signature] # 1293 Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} and Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Ds. E.5/HP.19.5.37. re Luvax Dampers. In view of our short discussion on dampers at the last Conference, when the difficulty of keeping oil in on the Nairobi Phantom III was mentioned, it is interesting to know that a number of people in the factory at Derby have experience of Luvax dampers and uniformly find that they cannot hold oil even on normal service. One of our officials has had three sets of dampers in a comparatively short period, and Lucas' have admitted to him that they do not know how to cure the trouble. Their difficulty however now appears to be not the same as ours as since the adoption of a rubber gland all leakage from that particular source has been stopped. The Luvax damper is made from a zinc base pressure die casting, the back of which is stopped up by a circular peaned-in cap, and this cap has to carry the maximum pressures reached in the body of the damper, which it consistently refuses to do at the joint. The point that arises is that we should take immediate steps to get some rubber glands on test for our own dampers, in place of the asbestos and tallow. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} [Handwritten in left margin]: Agree Km | ||