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 from Rolls-Royce of America discussing trials of hydraulic shock absorbers, including details on glands, oil, and steering performance.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 55\3\ Scan115 | |
| Date | 28th March 1926 | |
| ROLLS-ROYCE OF AMERICA, INC. SPRINGFIELD, MASS. X235 Oy4-E-32826 March 28, 1926. Mr. E. {Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} W. Hives, Rolls-Royce, Ltd., Derby, England. Re Hydraulic shock absorber Dear Hives: Many thanks for your experimental reports of March 3rd and 6th. We are most anxious to get a set for trial as soon as you feel we should have them. We are so anxious in fact that I believe we could even be persuaded to pay for them if necessary (though of course we might think it unreasonable of you to ask it). Gland. Bailey now has the Lovejoy details. Lovejoy uses a rawhide gland I believe. You could verify this from the details. This has an affinity for the oil and presumably swells when the oil gets to it. Oil. Any oil to be useful here must have a cold test of zero Fahrenheit or close to it like the Lovejoy oil. Prices' Motoring C would be solid nearly half the year. In hydraulic brakes straight castor oil is used as it has no action on rubber and allows rubber to be used for glands, plungers etc. Steering. We have again been testing Lovejoys in front on both the Phantom and the Silver Ghost. We find as you do that they are beautiful for steering. They appear to quite stop high speed wobbles on the Phantom even with 33x6-3/4" tires and unbalanced wheels. (Am afraid I don't know how far out of balance the wheels are.) | ||