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).
Accident involving chassis 8.B.V. and the resulting analysis of its rationalised steering components.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 153\1\ scan0313 | |
| Date | 16th August 1939 | |
| 1380 / 400B. To By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} From RM{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/FJH.{Fred J. Hardy - Chief Dev. Engineer} c. Ds. c. Da{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} RM{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/FJH.{Fred J. Hardy - Chief Dev. Engineer}2/MH.{M. Huckerby}16.8.39. RATIONALISED CHASSIS STEERING. Chassis 8.B.V. was involved in an accident during its Continental running in which the nearside wheel and wing hit another car. As a result of this impact the cross steering tube was badly bent and had to be replaced by a new one. The recent strip examination of the steering has shown that the steering gear was quite unaffected but that the 0.437 bolts holding the cross steering levers to the pivots were bent. We consider that this accident has shown the rocking shaft to be stronger than the cross steering tubes when the latter are in compression as they must be in the majority of accidents. As soon as we can spare one of the rationalised chassis we intend to do collision tests as we believe that the cross steering levers attached to the pivots will bend before the rocking shaft twists. From our overload tests on steering rollers we know that even the best rollers which withstand 4 times normal maximum load are weaker than the rocking shaft. Although the existing size of rationalised rocking shaft is the same as the original Ph.III. the stress is lower as it moves through a larger angle, 84° instead of 74°. In view of the above we consider that there is no need to strengthen the rocking shaft and have not specified the increased diameter for the Continental test of 30.G.VII. RM{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/FJH.{Fred J. Hardy - Chief Dev. Engineer} | ||