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 a supplier with suggestions for the more economical production of road springs, focusing on avoiding grinding and plating.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 154\2\ scan0114 | |
| Date | 14th July 1938 | |
| c. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. ROY{Sir Henry Royce}/Les.{Ivan A. Leslie} 1305 xx 2424. 14th. July 1938. BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer}/G.{Mr Griffiths - Chief Accountant / Mr Gnapp} Messrs. Thos. Firth & John Brown Ltd., Atlas and Norfolk Works, Sheffield. 1. Dear Sirs, ROAD SPRINGS With the object of producing springs more economically than they are being produced at present, which means, of course, that we wish to achieve the same results but avoid certain operations which put up the expense, I would put before you the following suggestions:- There are two main issues, which put up the cost of the plates viz. (a). The necessity for grinding. (b). The necessity for plating. In order to avoid the former, I would again mention a point raised on a number of occasions previously verbally viz. that it is possible by rolling in short lengths to control the depth of decarburisation and reduce it to a depth of round about .003 instead of .015. A double benefit is achieved by limiting the rolled length of plate to a figure of 16 to 20 ft. as the temperature of the billet in the first place can be much lower, and secondly it is obvious that the length of time that the plate is exposed to the atmosphere is considerably reduced. Whilst it is possible to considerably reduce the actual depth it is also important that such depth should be regularly controlled, as otherwise the replacing of the carbon by a cyanide bath is made considerably more difficult. On several occasions I have emphasized also the fact that decarburisation can be eliminated by the | ||