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 memorandum discussing the design and manufacture of propeller shaft universal joints.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\R\January1928-March1928\ 35 | |
| Date | 25th January 1928 | |
| Br.{T. E. Bellringer - Repair Manager} ) FROM R.{Sir Henry Royce} By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} ) (At Le CanadelHenry Royce's French residence.) HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} ) R1/M25.1.28. REC'D.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} & DESPATCHED FROM WW. 27.1.28. C. to Bl. WOB. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} EAC.10. PROPELLER SHAFT. UNIVERSAL JOINTS. X7340 X4183 MECHANIC'S TYPE. My impression is that 5" is too small: we are running with one nearly 7". Had we not better adopt a 6" one? The part that bolts on the flange of the gearbox and bevel pinion can be exactly alike, and must of necessity be the piece that is fitted with the loose pin. This will be a drop forging and not case-hardened. NOTE. I cannot see any advantage in the taper pin as the Mechanic's ring should hold the large driving pin in the ends of which might be spherical. (Taper pin bad for production and interchangeability; if anything use a screw as we did for similar pin on Silver Ghost.) The ring and the 4 bearings for the 2 driving pins seem good pieces to make correctly to size if special scheme and tools are provided, and the work of correcting and gauging is carefully organised (after ordinary machining) with the correct amount of draw left when joint faces come together, which ought to be easily ascertained by a few experimental trials. I think that the elasticity of materials will make this satisfactory, and there is no need to depart from the original Mechanic's scheme, which seems the sounder, and if well made will give more robust parts. Now then the difficulty comes in with the next piece. I conclude the pins on this must be casehardened. As shewn the sliding joint does not seem practical; apparently the teeth of this should also be casehardened. The sliding joint should be oil retaining independent of the tightness of the gland, which would not hold oil against the centrifugal force at 3000 revs. The internal serrations should be broachable, and it seems as though we must construct the joint like the sketch. If you could do without brazing in the end, by shrinking, pinning sweating, and taper fit, you could do without the flange, and make a simpler, lighter job with the same advantages. One thinks that with casehardened parts they could be so much smaller than soft ones. Serration area could be gained by fine pitch or some extra radial depth. If casehardening is thought unnecessary, then something more simple could be used. R.{Sir Henry Royce} | ||