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).
Three suggested reasons for the breaking of a Goshawk 11 steering box.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 49\4\ Scan270 | |
| Date | 19th May 1922 | |
| To Hs. {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from R. {Sir Henry Royce} c. to CJ BY. {R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to Hy {Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} EP. {G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} X.4264. R7/M19.5.22. GOSHAWK 11. BREAKING OF STEERING BOX. X.4264. Three reasons for this may be suggested. The first is that the aluminium box has been tight-ened on the tube which is larger than the bore, and therefore it was cracked on first erection. This is what I think is the case as the part seems so powerful that any stress that I can see that could get on them cannot be anything like so high as would occur at the point of fracture, if the box was pinched on to a tube which was too large for it. Since my experience with the fitting of the front axle I can quite understand this to occur. I do not see how designers can avoid it and unless wehave further breakage to parts which are known to be properly machined and erected, it would be a pity to depart from the design as arranged. We do not think the fault is in any way comparable to the breakage of the 40/50 box, the design of the mounting being so entirely different. The second suggestion of the breakage of this box is that the twisting of the frame causes motion of the box relative to the dashboard, and so the tube going to the hand wheel may tend to wrench the box loose on its fixing. On examination, the tube looks much too weak to damage the box. This suggestion can be clearly demonstrated by Mr. Hives by fixing a box to a tube, erecting the worm shaft tube on to it, and wrenching this about sideways to see whether the tube or the box will facture. If we can fracture the box by this means we suggest that the stress from this cause should be removed by carrying the box practically contd. | ||