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 the Springfield, Mass. office to Derby, England, discussing a mystery surrounding a steering component's performance.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 154\3\ scan0037 | |
| Date | 30th August 1927 | |
| Y/3682 ROLLS-ROYCE OF AMERICA, INC. SPRINGFIELD. MASS. Oy11-E-83027 August 30th, 1927. Mr. Robotham, Rolls-Royce Ltd., Derby, England. Re Steering Dear Sir: Many thanks for your notes on steering and print of the new worm and nut. It is still a mystery what causes the .720 steering 1.8 diameter to be so good in England and so bad here. I think we have got to find out more about it here if only for the sake of solving a mystery. All cars have been changed to the .720 steering with 1.625 worm and are giving complete satisfaction, whereas the 1.8 steerings were proved unsatisfactory in practically every case. I have asked Mr. Caswell to make some tests on the coefficient of friction between the tire and a hot concrete road. Just as a wild suggestion, is it possible that something, either in the accuracy or the 'texture' of the thread surface produced by the Pratt and Whitney worm grinder causes trouble in the steering? I understand you are putting in a Pratt and Whitney worm grinder and it might be well worth while for you to get hold of the first few steering worms produced from it and test them as experimental steerings, just to make sure that by the use of this machine you will not run yourselves into the same difficulties we have had here. Yours very truly, Maurice Olley MO/E | ||