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).
Visits to German industrial sites including Elektronmetal Foundry, Daimler-Benz, and Zeppelin Factory.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 142\3\ scan0260 | |
| Date | 9th June 1937 | |
| -4- R/Ev{Ivan Evernden - coachwork}/DB.{Donald Bastow - Suspensions}1/M.E9.6.37. Elektronmetal Foundry. (Cont'd). The laboratory equipment is very up to date and includes apparatus for spectroscopic analysis of materials. Daimler-Benz. In many ways this visit was the most disappointing of all, since we were first shown their body works, devoted to the production of their wooden-framed, steel-panelled body, and so much time was spent here and in journeying to the car works at Unterturkheim that when we reached the latter the men were having their lunch hour, and we were shown through a few shops, very quickly, and then taken off to the room where we ourselves were given lunch. What little we did see was chiefly material for the smaller Mercedes cars, the 1.3, 1.7 and 2.3 litre cars, which form the bulk of their production. Of these, the 1.7 litre is made in both front and rear engined types, and one of our guides expressed the opinion that the rear engined car handled better. They have on some cars an interesting frame construction which appears to be gaining popularity in Germany, the semi-backbone type. In essentials this consists of two tubular members parallel and close together in the middle of the car, widening at each end for the axles, engine, etc. The two members are rigidly secured together by crossmembers along the central part where they are close together, and have outrigger brackets for body support and mounting. All cars, except one 7 to 8 litre car of which very few are made, have independent suspension front and rear, at the rear by swinging half axles and at the front by transverse springs or triangles. The swinging half axle rear suspension is believed to be responsible for much of the tyre squeal when cornering which is such a noticeable feature of traffic noise in the town. Zeppelin Factory. Little of particular interest was to be seen here, the nearly completed LZ.130, sister ship of the "Hindenburg", is an impressively large structure built up as far as possible from standardised parts. The main structural girders are Duralumin, the flange and lattice webs being riveted together. R/Ev{Ivan Evernden - coachwork}/DB.{Donald Bastow - Suspensions} | ||