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).
Investigation into movement issues in the Goshawk 11 steering column support and failures of aluminium steering boxes.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\I\July1922\ Scan104 | |
| Date | 24th July 1922 | |
| To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to CJ. c. to Rj. c. to Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} c. to BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} ORIGINAL. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}5/LC24.7.22. GOSHAWK 11, STEERING COLUMN SUPPORT. X4264 We have examined all the Goshawk cars we have running about for signs of movement between the steering support tube and the engine. We have found that those which show signs of movement are those in which the engine is not fixed correctly. The first instructions with the 3-point suspension showed the tube supporting the front, sliding in the engine bearers as well as sliding in the oilless bushing. On cars which we have examined in which the engine has been held correctly, there have been no distinct signs of any movement having taken place. We do not think in future we shall have any trouble with this piece. We are fixing up the bump chassis correctly with new parts and will be able to report the results. We have tried to reproduce the failure of the steering box by clamping a box up very tightly to a tube .005" oversize, but we could not do so - all that happened was that the bolts stretched. We consider it is much safer to use the aluminium bronze steering boxes because we appear to get a certain percentage of failures with aluminium which it is very difficult to account for except that it is the condition of the material. We have had 40/50 steering boxes fail, and it has not been possible to find a definite cause. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||