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).
Cracked front cross members, axle control noise, brake judder, and steering issues.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 83\4\ scan0227 | |
| Date | 27th May 1936 guessed | |
| ( 5 ) During the examination, the front dropped cross member was found to be cracked at the two corners where the tubulor cross member is brazed on to the drop forgings. This is an apparent weakness and was not due to the skid. Two more of these cross members were found cracked in the same place on two Bentleys in the Paris Depot, under ordinary running conditions. Axle Controls. (New Type). These have not only given us considerable trouble but there have been serious complaints from customers at the Paris Depot, of noise from the front axle controls. This has been due to the wear in the P.B. bushes in which the centre pin moves. We have experienced exactly the same trouble with the new design, but have also to deal with the eyebolts as seperate parts, whereas before, these two parts were all in one solid piece. We have been having a good deal of front brake judder, and we largely contribute the cause to the poor design of these controls. This complete unit has considerable work to do and it is obvious that the design as it is at present is not nearly robust and strong enough to stand up to its work (i.e. the various areas which have to take the loads are not adequate.) After the front brake judders had become increasingly frequent, we decided to dismantle them and examine. We found that the bores of the two eyebolts, which secure the controls to the axle, had become oval and the resulting up & down play was allowing the axle to twist, thereby assisting the brakes to judder. The P.B. bushes at the end of the centre pin also showed signs of having worn. In order to check this play, we packed up the spring with washers so as to make it solid and thereby compress the eye bolts & distance piece end to end. We suggest that the whole of this unit be made larger and stronger, and in such proportions that no further complaints could possibly arise due to wear for a considerable period. The spring loading which has been fitted to follow up any wear and also to stop chatter, is almost useless. The action of the spring is to pull the centre pin complete with eyebolts etc., to one end, but it does not take out end play or up and down play in the eyebolts which is the chief cause of complaint. STEERING COLUMN & BOX. LOP FB239 LEC 4828 NS{Norman Scott} 3544-3719 Side Steering Tube LOP FB.240. The steering has been selective, stable, and free from knocks, an occasional joggle. In the London traffic it was heavy when cornering low speeds. At medium & high speeds on the open road this heaviness was not noticeable. The heaviness gradually wore off but not until the rough Continental roads were used did it become normal for low speed work. The fitting of Dunlop tyres to the front wheels makes the steering not so stable at high speed. [Handwritten on left side] GRY{Shadwell Grylls} LES MARTINDALE | ||