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 discussing vehicle riding comfort, suspension dynamics using the K²/ab formula, and cushion design.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 67a\2\ scan0112 | |
| Date | 15th February 1928 guessed | |
| - 2 - K²/ab It would be interesting to so "fake" a car that K²/ab was equal to unity and see what sort of riding resulted, and whether the independence of front and rear oscillations was noticeable, and desirable. I have an idea that "riding comfort" like beauty or acceptable music, may consist in a likeable combination of discords rather than absolute perfection, and that K²/ab= 1 might be found to give a riding quality that was "uninteresting", like a very good Pullman car on excellent tracks. If so, one can imagine that there might be "maxima" of riding comfort at say K²/ab = .80 and K²/ab = .40 and a minimum at say K²/ab = .60. C.G. One would imagine that a position of the C.G. of the sprung-mass, including passengers, about level with the C.G. of the passengers would give the best riding, because then the passengers would be bounced vertically rather than being pitched forward off the seat-backs. CUSHIONS The best commentary on cushion design, is that, with the exception of some of "Brewster's" cushions, one can get a better ride sitting on a hardwood chair than on the cushions provided. I believe your pneumatic cushions in England however are way ahead of our practice. Very truly yours, Maurice Olley Y /r | ||