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 E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. regarding a new rubber lubricant called 'Orel' for testing.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 154a\2\ scan0100 | |
| Date | 1st March 1939 | |
| Copy. E.I.DU PONT DE NEMOURS & CO., Bush House, London. -Copy- March 1st, 1939. Mr. A. {Mr Adams} F. {Mr Friese} Martindale, Experimental Dept., Rolls-Royce, Ltd., Derby. Your Ref. Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /AFM. {Anthony F. Martindale} 28/JH. Dear Sir, "OREL" RUBBER LUBRICANT Confirming our conversation on the telephone yesterday, we wish to state that we were interested in your company's original request for a sample of "Orel" for test by your Experimental Department. This is a new material produced by E.I.du Pont de Nemours & Co. in the United States, and it would be valuable to have the opinion on the qualities of this material from a foreign company, and particularly from a company having such a high standing as your own. The ultimate purpose of your examination would of course be to determine if there would be a market for this product in this country and what method should be adopted to supply the demand. "Orel" was placed on the American market during the latter part of last May after very careful field and laboratory testing, and its reception by the car dealers, garages, and service stations specialising in lubrication work in the United States has been very gratifying. The research work leading up to the development of "Orel" was undertaken because of the rapidly increasing use of rubber on automotive chassis parts. Rubber now is used extensively as insulating pads between chassis and body, for engine mountings, as bushings on shock absorber arms, stabiliser bars, spring shackles, coil spring pads, inserts in spring leaves and a number of other places. In a recent trade paper there was an illustration of an automobile chassis showing 56 points at which rubber was used, other than for tyres. This increased use of rubber presents a lubrication problem because, while the use of rubber is a decided advance in design, the rubber surfaces will become hard and dry, and squeaks, grunts, and groans result. Petroleum oils swell and soften rubber and cannot be used. | ||