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).
Letter to Vandervell Products Ltd. regarding tests on bearings for the Merlin engine.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 115\2\ scan0520 | |
| Date | 13th December 1939 | |
| 1020a Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}6/MH.{M. Huckerby} 13th. December, 1939. G.A.Vandervell, Esq., Messrs. Vandervell Products Ltd., Western Avenue, Park Royal, LONDON, W.3. Dear Vandervell, I am still hammering our people about running some tests on your bearings on the Merlin. They have such a large programme, however, of engines of all types that they seem reluctant to leave the product with which they are already getting satisfaction. However, they may yet be persuaded to run a test. Incidentally, I have just heard from one of our representatives who is in America, that Cleveland Graphite now find they can get equal results with a thin layer of white metal on steel as they can with a thin layer of white metal on bronze and steel. If this is so it seems that it might be rather foolish to put in a lot of energy testing the tri-metal bearing if this is not the "last word". Perhaps you will let me know your opinion. We certainly have had good results on the tri-metal on our automobile engines, but obviously the bi-metal should be cheaper and this is most important in our case. Yours sincerely, | ||