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).
Outstanding chassis design work, covering radiator shutters, brake drums, axles, gearboxes, and instrument boards.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 117\3\ scan0421 | |
| Date | 25th April 1941 | |
| Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. Ev{Ivan Evernden - coachwork}/JD.{J. Draper - Frames} OUTSTANDING CHASSIS DESIGN WORK. Whilst it appears that we are likely to get more and more involved in tank work, Leylands are proposing to give us more Drawing Office assistance and therefore we may hope to keep some chassis work going. A few of the problems which require attention are as follows :- 1. RADIATOR SHUTTERS. It is clear that we know of no better means of getting economical consumption with good carburation, than radiator shutters. The controlled air intakes which we have schemed are not nearly as simple as shutters. We want some simple scheme of light, rattle-proof shutters behind the radiator, for the Junior Range of cars, and I believe the B.M.W. which we are borrowing has something on these lines. Once the shutters get behind the radiator, they can be designed for weight reduction and elimination of rattles, rather than appearance. 2. WIDER BRAKE DRUMS - SENIOR RANGE. We have still got to see what can be done about wider brake drums on the Senior Range. 3. MYTH - ROLLS ROYCE AXLE. Though we are converting a Salisbury to get the Myth on the road, our experience indicates that none of the small cars we are running about, has an axle which is even reasonably quiet and therefore we shall almost certainly be forced into making our own Myth axle. The design for this should therefore be completed. 4. GEARBOX. The Morris car has shown that it is necessary to have a helical bottom gear to get an acceptable degree of silence. The helical gear, as we have it on the Myth box, adds considerably to the cost and weight. We must therefore alter the design to take advantage of what we have learned from the Morris. 5. INSTRUMENT BOARDS. We need Paulin very badly for this sort of work but have got to work up something reasonably acceptable for the first Myth. The most practical arrangement is really two instruments, as fitted to almost all small cars, i.e., the Standard, Austin, etc., The one instrument is the speedometer, - petrol gauge, thermometer and oil pressure being the other. If we could work up the composite instrument so that basically it was the same as fitted to the small cars, but with some characteristic of its own, it would clean up the instrument board and leave us plenty of room for wireless and other switches. We can endeavour to get a reliable electric clock to go in the speedometer. Please let me have your views on this. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||