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).
The distortion of Bentley road springs under braking torque from a customer's car.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 87\4\ scan0027 | |
| Date | 18th May 1934 | |
| L46 To E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} Distortion of Bentley Road Springs under Braking Torque. Bn.{W.O. Bentley / Mr Barrington} brought these road springs up on his last visit. They had been removed from a customer's car. The customer did not realise the condition they were in; all he complained about was that his front brakes were badly equalised. We have examined these road springs. The amount of distortion in the rear end of the top leaf is very unusual. We have never had such a case on an Experimental car. On the other hand, we know that sometimes in a crisis the steering may be thrown over on to full lock and the car skids forward, a very heavy torque being thrown up on the front axle. The attach report shows that the brinell of the top leaves on these particular springs was lower than it should have been. Even so, as will be seen from the photographs, the springs must have had very severe treatment. We have always considered that putting the rear end of the spring in compression when braking is a very undesirable state of affairs, particularly so on a sports type car where a considerable amount of front braking has of necessity to be provided. We think that this case provides additional justification for our request that a design should be produced for shackling the springs at the rear. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||