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).
Visit to Leyland Motor Car Company regarding their use and production of magnesium castings.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 140\3\ scan0053 | |
| Date | 25th August 1936 | |
| To E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} X1201 Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}3/KW.25.8.36. Visit to the Leyland Motor Car Company - Magnesium Castings. We visited the Leyland Motor Car Company a short time before the holidays. The major object of the visit was to ascertain the success or otherwise which they have had with magnesium castings, which they use extensively. The present situation with regard to this material seems to be as follows :- (a) In view of the weight regulations imposed by the Minister of Transport, the Leyland Motor Co. have found that it paid them to cut down their chassis weight by the use of magnesium, in spite of the extra cost of this material. The parts they are running on production include crankcases, gearbox castings, bottom halves, floorboards etc. etc. (b) In view of this fact they tackled the job systematically in order to produce magnesium castings in their own Works, and at present rather morethan half the foundry appears to be devoted entirely to magnesium castings. We believe they make all that they require. (c) They apparently did not have any very great difficulty in learning how to make magnesium castings. There is of course a definite technique which differs widely from aluminium, but this is fairly well established and they got hold of the necessary information by sending two of their foremen to Sterling Metals for a fortnight. They have had one bad accident in the foundry due to using a ladle which was not quite dry. Since precautions were taken to obviate this, no further trouble has been experienced. | ||