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 testing and failure analysis of steering pivots and the rigs used.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 2\B002_X168\ 00000001-page068 | |
| Date | 27th March 1913 | |
| From Exp. Dep. Copies for: Mr Johnson Mr Royce Mr Bpilwks Mr Hadin Re Steering Pivot Tests. K.168 The first rig we made which was driven from the test engine was no good, we could not fix the apparatus firm enough. We have now another arrangement in the new Experimental Shop bolted to the floor, this is working very satisfactorily and we should be able to break any type of pivot with it. We have broken 7 old pivots but 5 of them when broken show signs of being cracked before. We examined them before we put them on and could not distinguish these cracks, we rejected one because we could see a crack in it. Finding all these cracked pivots has upset us for giving any definite reports. The buffer arrangement for the cross steering tube which Mr Royce designed, will not be ready for a week, we are waiting for springs. We have made a temporary arrangement with rubber, we broke a pivot with this; we have now altered it and have put some springs in it and are making further tests. Finding all these cracked pivots is disturbing, we are doing comparative tests tonight with present type and old type pivots to see how much stronger they are on reversal tests and we will test reinforced type tomorrow. | ||