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).
Drive train chunking, slack, and other issues in Derby and Springfield cars.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 75\1\ scan0150 | |
| Date | 21th June 1921 | |
| Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} BY Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} X3426 EP{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer}/Thnll/F21.6.21. X.3719 X.3614 X.3426 RE CHUNKING IN DRIVE. REPORT FROM EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} Mr. Platford has instructed me to convey the following extract of a letter to you, and to ask you to let him have a line on this matter direct to Springfield, or if you will send it on to me I will forward it to him with the next batch of correspondence. "Chunking in the drive is a bad feature here on all cars, both on cars made at Springfield and cars imported from Derby. The rough roads and hard tyres cause a continual rattle on retard. It is essential that slack in the jaws be reduced to the minimum drawing size and also the jaws have a surface bed to each other. They are also in trouble here in regard to slack side shaft gears. The cars made at Springfield are generally poor in this respect, and in making comparisons are poor as compared with the Derby cars. In making comparisons between cars which are good and cars which are poor in these respects, our experience has been that deep gears and good fitting jaw clutch are the features on the good ones. At the same time these cars have no detrimental features. Springfield are keen on closer fits in drive and deeper gears, and are keen on the prospects of curing their present troubles seem good. I feel that they are right as shown by running tests, and I feel that we must take up similar action. To deal with the chunking trouble they have designed and propose making a fabric type coupling between clutch and gear box. Will Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} and BY please let me know what they have got to say about this. Has anything been done in this respect by ourselves at Derby? I agree that the America complaint is justified, and as previously explained is more manifest than in England, and they are up against it with customers and must have attention. Re. Axles and Gear Boxes on Derby & Springfield Cars. Axles and gears on Derby cars and Springfield cars have generally ball bearing noises, several found to be damaged - etched as though affected by standing about getting water or moisture on. c n t d.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} | ||