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 faults and design considerations for a herringbone gearbox.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 137\5\ scan0091 | |
| Date | 29th December 1929 | |
| X3720. ROLLS-ROYCE OF AMERICA, INC. HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} SPRINGFIELD, MASS. OY-4 Dec. 29, 1929. Mr. E.W. Hives, Rolls Royce, Ltd., Derby, England. Cc- Mr. Burton Dear Mr. Hives: HERRINGBONE GEARBOX We have a letter from Mr. Bethune in which he makes clear that constant-drive pinion E (attached print) is the only one held endwise. An erroneous description has appeared in Automotive Industries in which it was stated that other gears were also located end-wise within limits. We asked him about this because it appeared on our expl. box that the side-shaft gears, which were supposed to float endwise to the extent that the backlash of the teeth would allow, did not do so freely enough. Consequently after the shock of shifting had disturbed the relative endwise location of the gears, they would be noisy for several minutes and would only gradually work back into place, and silence. Mr. Burton tells me he had in mind to use Hoffmann roller bearings on the sideshaft when the Wall Str. storm hit us and knocked all such ideas out of sight. You notice Bethune uses a "spool" sideshaft on a long plain bearing, which may be best. Other faults in our gears were that we evidently had a wobbling helix on one side of the double gear so that the driven gear would be constantly shifted to and fro endways during rotation. - continued - | ||