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 performance of cross steering tube joints with ball pads on a Phantom III vehicle.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 95\1\ scan0421 | |
| Date | 5th August 1937 | |
| CHATEAUROUX. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/IMW{Ivan M. Waller - Head of Chateauroux}/4/JAB.5.8.37. 352 F.J.H See ME To. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/FJH{Fred J. Hardy - Chief Dev. Engineer} c. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/GWH{George W. Hancock - Head Chateauroux} 32-EX. PHANTOM III. Cross Steering Tube Joints With Ball Pads in BZ/PD. We have dismantled these at 8,000 miles in order to restore the load to 3.1/2 lbs. and prevent the bad wheel wobbles we have been experiencing. On 35-EX. we ran 17,000 miles in France before it was necessary to re-set the poundage, using the standard ball pads, but they had already been re-set at Derby before leaving for France, as the poundage had fallen during the preliminary running in England. The pads on 32-EX. in BZ/PD. showed no initial fall in poundage while running in, but this can be attributed to the fact that they were finished with a cutter and not lapped, rather than to the new material. The bedding is more evenly distributed than was the case on 35-EX. but some wear has taken place and some of the pads have picked up on the balls. It has been noted that to obtain the 3.1/2 lbs. load, the springs are only about .010" off chock-a-block? --------- Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/IMW.{Ivan M. Waller - Head of Chateauroux} | ||