Letter from Kelsey-Hayes Wheel Company detailing the design and testing of a wheel originally intended for Vauxhall Motors.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 159\7\ scan0274 | |
| Date | 23th October 1940 | |
| PLEASE ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO THE COMPANY KELSEY-HAYES WHEEL COMPANY LTD DIRECTORS J. {Mr Johnson W.M.} C. MAHONNAN, U.S.A. CHAIRMAN. GEO. W. KENNEDY, U.S.A. H. {Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} E. {Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} LEWIS, U.S.A. ORIGIN BRITISH. WM. F. {Mr Friese} NEWBURY. COMPLETE AUTOMOBILE WHEELS BRAKES STAMPINGS AND PARTS TELEPHONE: RAINHAM 420, 1, 2, 3 and 4 CABLE: KELSEYS, DAGENHAM DOCK TELEGRAMS: KELSEHAYES, DAGENHAM DOCK DAGENHAM DOCK, ESSEX [STAMP: NATIONAL SCHEME FOR DISABLED MEN] 1375 (handwritten) Your Ref. Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /GB.6/ET 23rd October, 1940. Dict. 22.10.40. Messrs.Rolls-Royce Limited, DERBY. Dear Sirs, We are in receipt of your communication of the 9th instant, in connection with a Wheel which we designed some time ago for Messrs. Vauxhall Motors Ltd., weighing only 13-Lbs., to take a 5.50 x 16 tyre. Unfortunately your letter, which was addressed to 106, Regent Street, which premises we vacated some 10 years ago, was not received here until yesterday, consequently you will appreciated that we have not been able to reply sooner. [STAMP: 21.OCT 1940] We enclose herewith copy of our Drawing 105310 which illustrates the Wheel in question, and we would advise you that it was designed for a 14 H.P. car weighing 2,450-Lbs., plus passenger weight of 450-Lbs., making a total of 2,900-Lbs., or 725-Lbs. per Wheel. Experimental Wheels were made up at the time and were tested by our rotary fatigue tester with a test load of 1,269-Ft. Lbs; on this test the Wheels proved satisfactory. In parallel with this test, however, Messrs. Vauxhall carried out a test on a vehicle, but the Wheels failed. An investigation revealed that they had failed owing to the fact that Messrs.Vauxhall had not modified their hubs to accommodate the snap headed rivet which at that time held the cap retaining clip to the Wheel, consequently, instead of the Wheels being firmly bolted to the hubs they were riding on the heads of the 5 rivets. In this condition you will appreciate that no Wheel would have stood up. 2374 (handwritten) A further set of Wheels was then made up with countersunk headed rivets, and although the test was not carried to a conclusion owing to the intervention of the War, we were given to understand that Messrs.Vauxhall were quite satisfied with their performance. The experimental Wheels referred to were made by using certain existing tooling, consequently they were not in their final form as illustrated in the accompanying Drawing. The Drawing illustrates the final Wheel which we know from actual tests and experience will be even stronger than the P.T.O. | ||
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).