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).
Challenges and potential solutions for driver-controlled and automatic shock dampers.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 16\5\ Scan055 | |
| Date | 7th March 1932 | |
| HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} ) FROM R.{Sir Henry Royce} BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} DA{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/HDY.{William Hardy}) (At Le CanadelHenry Royce's French residence.) X 7520. R5/MS.3.32. Sent from WW.7.3.32. C. to SG.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} W R.{Sir Henry Royce} RG.{Mr Rowledge} C. to Ph. EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} SHOCK DAMPERS - DRIVER CONTROL. X.7520 X.5520 Though evidence suggests that this would be desirable we must not imagine it would cure all our troubles, because- (1) We should still have to adjust the flexibility of the road springs to the weight of the car, and to the customers wishes, general loading of the car, and speed driving. (2) There would be cars with passengers and weight badly disposed, passengers overback etc. No. (2) are I believe still being made and cannot be avoided until we make some drastic moves in design. I repeat, fit anything you like for experimental and special customer's use, but as far as my personal work and responsibility is concerned the following appeals to me: (1) I think better results yet can be obtained without any control, as shewn by past work, and the car here. (11) Because controles I have seen cannot be worked frequently and easily enough for changes if speed brought about by short, fast, stretches of road mixed with slow pieces. (111) Except with specially careful and enthusiastic drivers such adjustments are either not made, or are generally in the wrong place, or they may get out of order and do more harm than good. In short, they are still another gadget for the driver to continuously work, not set an adjustment. I long ago saw the desirability of changing the damping with the road speed - (a) Automatically, which sounds quite possibly by the hydraulic control (oil pressure) that we are considering, in the following way: a small gear pump is driven by the transmission following the speed of the car. On the same spindle is a small centrifugal governor (in all about the size of a speedometer or lubricator.) This closes the relief valve and causes the pressure to rise, and the dampers to increase in loading, independently of the viscosity of the oil. | ||