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).
Performance and design of shock absorbers mounted outside the frame.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 179\2\ img059 | |
| Date | 14th December 1931 | |
| To Ds. from Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}2/AD14.12.31. x7520. P.II. SHOCK ABSORBERS OUTSIDE THE FRAME. With reference to your note De3/M11.12.31. The model we are running at Derby with dampers outside the frame is equipped with Delco shock absorbers. The bearings fitted to these shock absorbers are very much larger than our own and the car has not done a very big mileage and it is therefore not easy to give you any reasonable information. We definitely think that the only thing to do is to fit up the design and then see how it behaves as a small alteration to the damper will materially affect the amount of querrelling. With regard to ball bearings, we cannot honestly say after our experience on the front damper that we are favourably impressed with them for this job. You will notice in our report on 25-EX that while the rear damper bearings were perfectly alright, one of the ball races had given trouble on the front damper in spite of the fact that relatively the front damper loads are not as high as the rear owing to the shorter levers. We can honestly say that the main bearing wear has not given us very much trouble since we obtained the correct lubrication. We are particularly anxious to get the P.2. front damper altered because it is inefficient (as we have shown on the indicator diagrams), it is heavy, not very accessible and complicates production, because it is quite different to any of the other dampers. The have got the front and rear of the 25 HP. and the rear of the P.2. so that they can be made of the same jigs and it would be a great help as we could bring the front P.2. damper into line. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||