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).
On competitor engine components, specifically Moraine Products bearings and 10 m/m spark plugs.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 158\5\ scan0069 | |
| Date | 25th April 1940 | |
| Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} - 5. Serial No.102. OY.3/D/Apr.25.40. Bearings. Cadillac propose to use in 1941 and Buick this summer, Moraine Products whitemetalled sintered copper-nickel bearing shells. Have not seen these, but will get some. The way they are made is that hot steel strip is passed under a hopper feeding finely powdered metal consisting of 70 copper, 30% nickel (the latter for mechanical strength). The resulting adhering coat is scraped to a thickness of about .015", and the combined strip is then heat-treated in a continuous furnace, and comes out as a homogeneous, but porous, coating, strongly adherent to the steel. This strip is then rolled for accuracy and goes into a high vacuum chamber, to extract all absorbed gases out of the porous metal. In this chamber it is whitemetalled, with a babbitt or 95 lead 5 tin, as desired. After forming the whitemetal is machined down to 2-5 thou. thick in the approved manner. Claims are :- cheaper than the "quilted" bearing by many times. Much cheaper than copper-lead. A virtually indestructible whitemetal skin which cannot be either loosened from its backing or worn down to bare backing-metal. Sufficient "conformabiltiy" due to the porous backing. It is similar essentially to the "quilted" bearing in being virtually a copper-lead bearing with the two metals properly arranged. Thin whitemetal shells on steel are good, but Cadillac think this moraine bearing is practically perfect. Ignition. Cadillac use, and believe in, the 10 m/m spark plug. Claim that it has greater "strength". (Don't know what they mean by this) Have used it since 1939. Claim that A.C. and Ethul Laboratories have only recently been got to co-operate | ||