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).
Visit to Wolseley Motors to inspect their rear axle test rig and a recommendation to build a similar one.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 128\3\ scan0246 | |
| Date | 30th August 1937 | |
| Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls} c. By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} c. Mx.{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} Hdy.{William Hardy} 1100 Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry{Shadwell Grylls}3/R.30.8.37. Visit to Wolseley Motors. To-day we visited Wolseley's to see their new rear axle test rig. They have made this rig themselves. The bare principle is to drive two axles in parallel loaded by the torsion of a twisted shaft joining them so that the motor only has to provide the losses in the axles and bevel drives connecting them. The axles are mounted on road springs at normal camber so that the rig not only provides endurance running on the differential assembly, but also of half shafts and hub bearings. The only rig we now have is the chassis dynamometer on which high speed running cannot be done. As we are contemplating radical changes in axle design to a semi-floating axle, we recommend making a Wolseley rig. The probable cost is about £250. Six months' testing on such a rig will provide the equivalent of 200,000 miles. Such a rig provides an easy method of measuring deflections of the crown wheel and pinion under running conditions. It could be installed at Shardlow. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls} Mr. Grylls. We had this scheme in 1911 not the same detail but tested axles under full load at high speeds. I strongly recommend this for axle test. By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} | ||