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).
Monthly report on customer complaints regarding booming, vibrations, brake squeaks, and shock dampers.
| Identifier | Morton\M19\ img026 | |
| Date | 18th February 1933 | |
| ORIGINAL To R.{Sir Henry Royce} From Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/GMH. c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} c. to By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} c. to R.{Sir Henry Royce} Hd.{Mr Hayward/Mr Huddy} c. to EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} Mx.{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} Ha/GMH.2/KT.18.2.3 x4117. CUSTOMER'S COMPLAINTS MONTHLY REPORT. Item (1a) Booming and Vibrations. 25HP and Phantoms. Extensive and research work has been carried out with the above and very satisfactory results have been obtained. These are being verified before a definite statement is made. Item (1) Brake Squeaks and Inefficiency. W.W. gave us designs for 40% thicker brake drums. These are now on production. Further designs of ribbed brake drums have been received and are on test. Tests are being carried out with various brake lining materials. I have been to the makers of Ferodo brake linings and they are going to give us all the assistance they can to produce an efficient lining without a squeak. The present production is being fitted with the non-squeaking pilot shoe. Depots have been instructed to fit same, but only on very bad cases. It is not intended to fit these indiscriminately as the cost would be too high. Tests are being carried out with the W.W. design of locomotive shoe but the results so far are not satisfactory. Other schemes are being persevered with. Item (2) Shock Dampers. The numerous complaints during the last six months with shock dampers show that the present damper is giving anything but satisfactory results in service. The complaints have been, firstly, knocks (209 complaints). The knocks are caused by slackness in the links due to wear and side clearance. A very slight clearance causes a knock which is magnified up by the frame. The knocks are the result of a small rapid movement of the lever such that will be caused by running over cobble stones. Secondly, loss of oil from the dampers. (19 complaints). A considerable amount of work has been done to overcome these troubles, but as stated, a very slight amount of slack, hardly measurable, causes a knock that is complained of, and with the present design of damper, this is almost impossible to deal with. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} has carried out extensive work in regard to these and reports have been sent to W.W. New designs of dampers have been received but it will be some time before these can be exhaustively tested before being incorporated in production. Meantime we are still fitting dampers that in all probability will give trouble. Tests with | ||