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).
Trial of Vandervell strip big end bearings and modifications to connecting rods.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 115\2\ scan0452 | |
| Date | 5th April 1939 | |
| 1020 To HPS.{Horace Percy Smith - Experimental Factory Mgr} Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Swdl{Len H. Swindell} 6/ER 5.4.39. Big End Bearings - W.lll. and B.V. We wish to try some Vandervell strip big end bearings, housed in the connecting rods in accordance with the attached drawing - L. 1134. Ex. 29697/A Rods, with modifications as per L. 1134 are suitable for the job, these being originally run without flanged bearings. Will you please instruct for one set to be modified accordingly, and Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Swdl{Len H. Swindell} will supply the bearings, three in three layer material and three in Babbit. If there are no spare Ex. 29697/A rods available, will you please notify us to this effect, and we will arrange to have I.B. 50 in the shop, and these rods removed, and replaced by standard ones. The modifications to the Ex 29697/A comprised :- 1. Boring out the housing to 2.1460 dia. 2. Delete the dowel and fit a plain drilled plug. This plug should be fitted before the housing is bored out, so that it gives a solid backing to the bearing. 3. Looking slots to be machined to L. 1134. 4. Slight flat to be milled on bolts section - C.C. of L. 1134. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Swdl.{Len H. Swindell} | ||