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).
Introductory document on the principles and challenges of vehicle suspension design.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 178\1\ img173 | |
| Date | 28th August 1926 guessed | |
| S U S P E N S I O N . 1. I. INTRODUCTORY. (a) Measureable requirements of a good suspension. Though there are a number of attributes in a desirable suspension which cannot be accurately defined, chiefly because they are largely a matter of personal opinion, there are one or two points where excellence can be expressed in quantitative terms. The tyre life, the life of the body, petrol consumption and absence of spring failure, all indicate good or bad suspension. (b) Difficulties of defining a 'well sprung' car from the passengers point of view. Unfortunately for the motor-car manufacturer, customers opinions differ very widely as to what constitutes comfortable riding. Some are highly susceptible to small, frequent shocks and can be catered for by fitting very flexible springs having a low periodicity. These same springs cause other customers to be sea-sick This variation in the personal element is one of the most difficult factors in the solution of suspension problems. (c) Considerations in suspension design. Improvement in suspension has admittedly fallen behind that of other parts of the automobile. There are two main reasons for this. One is the large number of variable conditions for which a suspension has to cater. This is especially evident in a chassis designed for all types of body, and having a reputation for low and high speed performance in England, the Continent and contd. | ||