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 from Luvax Limited regarding the material composition of shock absorber glands.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 152\1\ scan0068 | |
| Date | 11th January 1933 | |
| x832 DIRECTORS HENRY J. {Mr Johnson W.M.} SAYER. PETER F. {Mr Friese} BENNETT. OLIVER LUCAS. CHASSIS [LUCAS C.A.V. ROTAX BRITISH MADE STAMP] ENGINEERING LUVAX LIMITED WORKS: LARDEN ROAD, ACTON, LONDON, W.3. TELEGRAMS: 'LUVAXITUDE, ACT, LONDON' TELEPHONE: SHEPHERDS BUSH 3111. (PTE BCH {F. H. Birchmore - Chassis Delivery Manager} EXCH.) LUVAX HYDRAULIC SHOCK ABSORBERS LUVAX-BIJUR CHASSIS LUBRICATING SYSTEM MIDLAND OFFICES WELL STREET BIRMINGHAM TELEPHONE: NORTHERN 5201. TELEGRAMS: 'LUVAX, BIRMINGHAM' SALES HANDLED EXCLUSIVELY BY JOSEPH LUCAS LTD C.A.VANDERVELL & CO LTD ROTAX (M.A) LTD WHEN REPLYING PLEASE REFER TO HWP/EM. 11th January 1933. Hs {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} /Rm. {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} 3/KT. Messrs. Rolls Royce Ltd. D E R B Y. For the attention of Mr. Robotham. Dear Sirs, In reply to yours of the 10th, the glands which we use in our Shock Absorbers are not made of rubber, but of canvas impregnated with graphite. As you will see from the enclosed sample, it is made of layers of canvas fastened together with rubber solution, but this is only during the process of manufacture, and even if the rubber washes out, the gland ring retains its shape. We obtain these rings from various sources; some of them are made in our own Works, some we obtain from Hall & Hall, Oldfield Works, Hampton, Middlesex and some from Alexander Richard & Co.Ltd., Craven House, Kingsway, London, W.C.2. It is a form of the original S.E.A.Ring, which was invented many years ago, but the Patent has now run out, the essential features being that there shall be a hard heel on which the gland cap pinches, and a soft pointed tongue surrounding the shaft which is capable of being pressed on to the shaft by the oil pressure. As far as oil resisting rubber goes, the whole crux lays in the definition of the word "resisting"; some rubbers will resist the oil for a few hours, and others will resist it for many months, but whilst they are P.T.O. | ||