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 testing of present type pivots against old type pivots by running a car over obstacles.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 2\B002_X168\ 00000001-page032 | |
| Date | 17th March 1913 | |
| From Exp. Dept. Copies for: Mr Johnson Mr Royce Mr Spinney Mr Hadin 168 X249 March 17th. 1913 AT/212/L17313 Tests with Present type Pivots. On the same car that we broke the old type pivots in 10 mins. over ballast bags on the track we fitted the present standard pivots. We ran the car with these pivots for a total time of 540 minutes at the same speed as the previous 20 to 25 m.p.h. During the tests we first buckled the cross steering rod, then we sheared the bolts holding the leaves of the springs together, we had to renew these bolts 3 times, we also bent the front axle considerably. At the finish there was a slight crack in the pivot only it was on the near side pivot instead of the off side as usual. The result of this test seems to point, that the present pivots are safe, when the car strikes a big obstacle the whole of the steering parts deflect and no one part is weak, and the first thing to go is the cross tube if it is the type which has a set in to start with. The next thing is the bolt which holds the leaves together and which spiggot the spring to the axle. This allows the front axle to be pushed back on the springs. When either of these things happen it is not serious, I mean it would not result in a fatal accident, the old cars which are on the road with a good big set in the cross steering tube should be safe because this type of tube allows any deflection to take place there and saves the pivots. | ||