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).
The endurance testing of Phantom III bearings using Hall's metal bushes, detailing a failure due to poor adhesion.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 115\3\ scan0074 | |
| Date | 13th October 1937 | |
| To RHC.{R. H. Coverley - Production Engineer} from Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Swdl.{Len H. Swindell} C. HPS.{Horace Percy Smith - Experimental Factory Mgr} 1020 Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Swdl.{Len H. Swindell}3/MH.{M. Huckerby}13.10.37. PHANTOM III BEARINGS. We have just completed some endurance tests with Hall's metal bushes adapted to existing standard connecting rod bearing halves machined to take these bushes. In this scheme they are used only as the inner forked rod bushes, running on the crankpin, the outer blade rod bearing still being standard whitemetal. The result of the endurance is that all six Hall's metal bushes are in exceptionally good condition, likewise five of the whitemetal faced blade rod bearings, the sixth, however, is in poor condition, the whitemetal having come away in a chunk from the steel. From its appearance the adhesion has been poor and the fact that the remaining five are in good condition would confirm this view. Although we are confident of the scheme generally, as being a good job, we have the feeling that we may be occasionally let down by a case of bad adhesion as experienced on our test engine. Seeing that in this particular scheme whitemetal is only required on the outside diameter, the method of metalling on this face might be altered to give improved adhesion. In the case of standard bearings the adhesion of the whitemetal on the inside diameter is invariably good. Several sets of such bearings with Hall's metal inner bushes are being produced for use on Experimental cars, and we should appreciate any efforts made to give better adhesion to the w/m outer blade rod bearing. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Swdl.{Len H. Swindell} | ||