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 Adamant Engineering Company regarding steering box oil viscosity and hemisphere cracking on a Bentley car.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 28\2\ Scan231 | |
| Date | 8th September 1933 | |
| Messrs. Rolls-Royce Ltd. Contd 2. 8.9.33 design and we trust we shall hear from you that you are prepared to try out a sample on the Bentley car. As regards the first paragraph of your letter we have not ourselves experienced the features mentioned in this, but from reading and thinking over what you tell us, it occurs to us that possibly there is a distinctly high temperature in the bonnet of the car, and this temperature is having the effect of thinning the oil in the steering box to such an extent that it loses more viscosity than is desirable. We have accordingly sent you yesterday a sample of Vacuum Mobiloil "E.P." which we have found to have a very beneficial effect in cases of this description. We shall be glad if you will arrange to change the oil in the box for the oil we are now sending, and we shall be very interested to hear the result that it has had. As regards the last paragraph of your letter, we have made a thorough investigation of the hemispheres which you sent back to us, and which showed signs of cracking. We have discovered that a method we used for testing the soundness of these hemispheres also, unfortunately, had the effect of starting very small cracks, and the cracks in the Hemispheres which you returned to us had been in the opinion of our Laboratory, started in this way. We forthwith ceased this method of testing and now adopt another method, which, so far as we can see, will overcome such a question of any crack being present. Hemispheres tested by this latter method are fitted in the gear mentioned in your last paragraph, which Gear has already been despatched to you. Assuring you of our best attention at all times, We are, Yours faithfully, for ADAMANT ENGINEERING COMPANY LIMITED. Director. Enc: | ||