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).
Page 2 of a letter from the Managing Director regarding the development and use of AC.9 bearing alloy.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 115\4\ scan0092 | |
| Date | 6th July 1940 | |
| JH/KES - 2 - 6th July, 1940. not go on with AC.9 as Rolls had experimented with it and found it to be a failure. We have this report in writing from Napiers. Having heard not only from you, but from other people that the virtues of all types of other bearings compare favourably with the one invented by your own people, I felt it was my duty to come to the fountain-head and say, "Please stop this sort of talk if you possibly can because it is very detrimental to a bearing alloy which has considerable possibilities". When one realises that the Germans and the American are now doing an enormous amount of research into aluminium alloys for bearings, I think it would be a great pity to drop AC.9 and if you people have laid it down temporarily, do try and realise that we have committed ourselves to quite a lot of expense in connection with these experiments and we have a considerable amount of faith in the material. Your statements with regard to the lack of engineering support I hardly think are justified, because Leylands were using AC.6 before we came into the picture after very considerable discussion between Mr. Markland and your people. I think perhaps it would be much better to let the whole matter drop, but I do want to assure you that Mr. Pilkington himself told me in front of Mr. Blackith that statements detrimental to the bearing had been made by the Rolls-Royce people and I have it on the authority of other people that similar statements have been made. I therefore feel compelled to make the statement again that Mr. Pilkington did tell Mr. Blackith and me, and I would say so again if both you and he were present. Yours truly, John Harlton Managing Director. | ||