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).
The advantages and disadvantages of friction in the steering column over standard friction systems.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\Q\February1927-March1927\ 16 | |
| Date | 31th March 1927 guessed | |
| contd :- -5- x cars and have more initial stiffness. If we make tight worms and nuts our cars are O.K. when they leave the works, but are bound to deteriorate as the steerings loose their initial stiffness. Friction distributed between the column and the pivots enables us to obtain lighter and more consistent steerings, to use stronger side steering tube springs and so get greater selectiveness, and to obtain complete immunity from joggles. ADVANTAGES OF FRICTION IN THE COLUMN OVER PRESENT STANDARD FRICTION. (a) When resisting a road shock, the irreversibility of the steering nut increases the effect of the friction. (b) When the car is being steered normally the in-efficiency of the worm and nut does not increase the friction working against the driver. (c) When a road shock occurs, the side steering tube springs deflect more due to the friction behind them before any load is thrown on the hand. The greater the deflection of the side steering tube springs, the more kinetic energy of the road shock is absorbed by them and the greater the automatic restoring couple on the pivots after the road shock has spent its energy. (d) When the car is being steered normally, the friction in the column does not tend to increase the deflection of the side steering tube springs i.e., the feeling of sponginess is obviated. DISADVANTAGES :- (a) Increased tendency to low speed wobbles. Obviated by retaining some friction in the pivots | ||