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).
Need for and status of various testing rigs and shop access.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 155\3\ scan0060 | |
| Date | 26th March 1936 | |
| -2- (3) Road Wheel Dynamometer. We are still being badly handicapped by the fact that we have no road wheel dynamometer. The space occupied by this was vacated owing to the pressing need of the manufacturing section and has never been replaced. We cannot satisfactorily test transmissions, axles and gearboxes without a road wheel dynamometer. (4) Joggle Rig & Frame Torsion Testing Rig. These rigs are both in constant use in the development of new frames and occupy almost the whole of Shardlow. We are most anxious they should be accommodated in the Works. (5) Straight Eight Test Bed. It was agreed that this was necessary in order to enable us to carry out development work on the Wraith engine. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} is asking for figures for side valve engines with a view to producing Wraith designs, and we require the test bed agreed to for this purpose. (6) Bumping Rigs. A complete scheme was produced a considerable time ago with a view to modernising this equipment and eliminating the use of car engines for driving these rigs. The use of car engines is undoubtedly extravagant because they require direct personal supervision to run them, and furthermore, they are unreliable as we are constantly having maintenance trouble, which holds work up for appreciable periods. (7) Access to the Shop. The present arrangement of taking cars out of the garage and all round the buildings to get them into the shop is not efficient. Furthermore, it prevents the room required for the passage-way to get these cars into the shop being utilised for other purposes. Some sort of rearrangement of pit work is really called for. | ||