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 investigation into rear axle failures, detailing conflicting test results with different oils.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\U\May1930-July1930\ Scan014 | |
| Date | 5th May 1930 | |
| From: Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} (Held up). Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}1/WJ.5.5.30. x7350. REAR AXLE FAILURES. We have not found any solution to the various rear axle failures as yet. The results of our tests are very conflicting. Until a week ago only one failure had occurred on dynamometer test, using a recommended oil. Three axles then failed in succession, running on Price's axle oil which we have recently been using with a view to getting away from the American Whitmore's Compound. Twenty-six axles had previously been run through test without trouble on this oil. So far as we know, five axles have failed in service. In no case is the failure such that the car cannot be driven at all. The toe of the driving side of the pinion "picks up" and the axle becomes noisy. In one or two cases axles have become noisy in this manner and with continued running have improved again. We suspected that failures in service might be due to axles being short of oil. We proved that the ball race on the N.S. of the differential had, in certain cases, a tendency to pump oil into | ||