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 Harry Ricardo discussing the performance of a special Shell oil compared to castor oil.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 20\4\ Scan029 | |
| Date | 16th April 1923 | |
| Copy to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Rg.{Mr Rowledge} X976 Bridge Works, Old Shoreham, Sussex. Ref: Wks/HRR/S/6875 16th. April, 1923. A.{Mr Adams} J.{Mr Johnson W.M.} Rowledge, Esq., C/o Messrs. Rolls-Royce Ltd., DERBY. My dear Rowledge, Have you yet had an opportunity to test the special Shell oil we sent you? Since I last wrote, we have had a lot more experience with this oil, both here and on Brooklands track. What I shall be most interested to learn is how the oil consumption compares with castor oil when it is used, not at the same oil pressure, but at the same rate of flow through the bearings, i.e at about 30% to 40% of the pressure used for castor oil. In most cases, we find the oil consumption less, though it varies rather erratically. As regards wear, we can find very little to choose between this oil and others. So far as we can discover, wear seems to be almost entirely a question of grit carried in suspension in the oil, and nearly independent of viscosity, or indeed of any characteristic of the oil. Yours sincerely, (Sgd) HARRY R.{Sir Henry Royce} RICARDO. | ||