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 effects of braking on the vehicle's pivot lean and steering stability.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\L\2April1924-June1924\ Scan82 | |
| Date | 12th July 1923 | |
| B.R. 493A (40 H) (SL 42 12-7-23). J.H., D.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} EXPERIMENTAL REPORT. -2- Expl. No. 9940 REF:Us/R m/1015. b. 24. With one brake only in action, the pivot on the side where the braking is taking place, assumes a forward lean of about 3/16"; the other side on the other hand, is twisted very little past the vertical position. These readings undoubtedly represent a low value. When the car comes to rest the axle can be seen to untwist slightly as the weight thrown on the front axle by the retardation is removed. We can only measure the pivot leans when the car is at rest. When both the pivots are leant forward the steering naturally has a tendency to be unstable on corners owing to the castoring action being reversed. When one pivot is leant forward and the other is vertical, we believe the steering to be unstable even in the central position for the following reason. When the stub axle of the vertical pivot is turned on either lock it neither tends to lift or lower the chassis. When the stub axle of the pivot leaning forward (or the one which is being braked) is turned backwards to steer into the side on which the brake is being applied, it tends to lower the car. There is a corresponding tendency to lift the car the other side because the pivots are not equally inclined. If, therefore, steering the car tends to lower the chassis on the forwardly inclined pivot side only, conversely the weight of the chassis on this side tends to steer the car. This is the only explanation we can give as to what causes the steering to start turning towards the side being braked with centre-point steering. Once it has started the contd:- | ||