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).
Technical analysis of vehicle handling stability, slip angles, and the effects of gyroscopic shocks.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 170\2\ img243 | |
| Date | 12th January 1935 guessed | |
| -5- Handling stability continued: (say a rh{R. Hollingworth} camber) a force F is applied at the c.g. Reaction forces F1 equal to F b/l and F2 equal to F a/l, must occur at front and rear ends respectively. Slip angles ø1 and ø2 must occur to produce F1 and F2. If ø1 is equal to ø2 the car moves off to the right in a straight line A.{Mr Adams} If ø1 is less than ø2 the car moves in a curve B to the left. Centrifugal force adds itself to F and above a certain critical speed a balance will never occur. The car will go into a skid. This is instability, oversteering, tight-rope walking or what have you. If ø1 is greater than ø2 the car moves in a curve C to the right. Centrifugal force opposes and ultimately balances force F.{Mr Friese} The car is "stable", although it may be overstable, ie sluggish in response to the steering wheel. Radius of turn is obviously very close to l / (ø1 - ø2) at all times. From Evans' paper, etc, the inferences that follow from this elementary proposition are almost infinite. (I have 66 pages of calculations from Research for example on "An Analysis of the transient state"). The effects of --- (1) Weight distribution. (2) Independent front and rear. (3) Swing Axles. (4) Stabilizer rods. (5) Tire wear (due to slip angle). (6) Tilt of rear springs in side elevation on Hotchkiss, etc, etc. - all require analysis, and as we analyse them, appear to agree closer and closer to actual observation in driving. Gyroscopic Shocks Your note of December 10th on the effect of equal linkage, I feel has helped my education a lot, and am very grateful for it. The case is not so clear for the Dubonnet. Here the mass of the boxes slows down the natural wobble frequency of the front wheels and to some extent breaks the chain of circumstance | ||