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).
Test report on the failure and cracking of steering pivots when driving over obstacles.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 2\B002_X168\ 00000001-page026 | |
| Date | 12th March 1915 | |
| From Exp. Dept. Copies for: Mr Johnson Mr Royce Mr Spinney Mr Hadin. AV/EHSO/L12313 March 12th 1915. 18S Re Steering Pivots Breaking. X.447 Our tests with the split cross steering tube showed us that the worst stress came on the pivots when the car struck an obstacle with both front wheels. We made a test on the track by making 16 obstacles about 20 yards apart of one layer of ballast bags, which would bump both wheels, the car was run at 20 to 25 m.p.h. and after we had run for 10 minutes a crack started in the off side pivot in the usual place, front bottom corner. It gradually increased. We gave up after 30 minutes running. Mr Wormald is bringing this pivot with him to France. I feel confident that any of the old type pivots would start to crack over our imitation "cavineaux". There was no appreciable sign of stiffness in the steering right up to the time we abandoned the test. | ||