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).
Ride comfort tests conducted on a Phantom 11 car using a water spilling method.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 16\7\ Scan333 | |
| Date | 26th November 1930 | |
| To R.{Sir Henry Royce} From Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/AJL. c. to Sr. Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. to By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} c. to Hd.{Mr Hayward/Mr Huddy} GWH.{George W. Hancock - Head Chateauroux} COPY. X7410 Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/AJL.1/MJ.26.11.30. SPRINGING - PHANTOM 11. We have carried out some tests on a Phantom 11 car with a view to recording the actual riding comfort in the rear seats. When making tests on alterations to suspension it is always very difficult to record by personal impression any difference in riding comfort due to some change in the springing system. The method of measurement which, in the past, has proved the most successful is the water spilling method. This has been tried now on a Phantom 11 car and records, quite consistently, results which are in agreement with personal impressions. The car used for the tests was 20-EX, which is agreed to be an average sample of standard Phantom 11 springing. It has a big heavy limousine body, seven seats; the rear seat is immediately over the rear axle. It is fitted with two side and one rear spare wheel carrier and a luggage grid. For the first series of tests, two cylindrical tins were fastened to the rear seat board (the cushion being removed) vertically above the transverse centre line of the rear axle. Each tin was approximately 6" from the longitudinal chassis centre line. The tins were filled up with a known quantity of water and the amount lost from the tins was measured after each run over the chosen test road. Some difficulty was experienced in finding a suitable road for the tests. It was hoped to find a road similar to many of the London by-pass roads which are so bad for shewing up pitching, this however, was not found. Several roads were tried out and Ticknall Hill was chosen as the best for the purpose. The road is a good average and contains one or two patches where pitching is set up. Then carrying out these tests it is necessary to drive over exactly the same piece of road each test to get exactly similar condition; this of course is not humanly possible, but we have nevertheless obtained remarkably consistent results. We cannot for this reason register the difference in comfort due to a small alteration (5 lbs. per sq.in.) in tyre pressures. The first series of tests (Fig.1) shew the effect of front and rear damping. It will immediately be noticed | ||