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).
Report discussing the development, testing, and standardisation of shock dampers and governor controls for 25 HP and 27-WX car models.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 16\5\ Scan094 | |
| Date | 29th March 1933 guessed | |
| -2- arrangement and we are satisfied that with this scheme the low rating cars can be made safe to drive and control at high speeds. We have received from W.W. an improved oil pump and governor drive which we are arranging to fit to 27-WX. We are expecting in two to three weeks time to have 27-WX. car running fitted with a scheme which we recommend for standardisation. As long as we confine it to a hand control scheme there should be very little risk, and it might be decided after a trial on 27-WX. that the parts could be put in hand. We quite expect some criticisms because of using only two positions but we are certain from our tests that this will give all that is required. If we find a solution to overcome the troubles with the governor control these parts can always be added without difficulty. The position is that owing to the increase in performance on the standard cars and the low rating flexible springs which are used, we must have shock damper control and we must have it quickly. 25 HP. The 25 HP. car is instructed to have the new dampers. These should be on test the 50th. chassis in 'Z' which will be about the middle of June. On the 25 HP. car there is not the same necessity for controllable shock damper but it is a refinement which would be greatly appreciated. It has been agreed that the controlled dampers for the 25 HP. will not be on until it has been fitted to the Phantom II. This means that the first 25 HP. cars would have fixed damper loads and as regards the customer we do not expect them to give any better results than the present standard shock absorbers. Our anxiety is that they should be as equally as reliable as the present standard. We had considered whether we might put in hand a further batch of the present standard dampers in order to give us more time with the new ones. This decision however would involve also sacrificing front axle control because the present dampers are not suitable. We are badly in need of the front axle control and therefore we have given up any idea of going ahead with any further dampers of the present type. Altogether we have completed 32,000 miles on the new dampers on various cars, and we have almost eliminated our troubles. The last one which requires modification is the fixing of the lever on the shaft - it was found that the lever came loose when the shock absorbers were run short of oil. This mean that there was a hammer like blow in the shock damper. Now that we have gone | ||