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).
Experiments to improve steering gear performance by adjusting bearing loads and rocker shaft stiffness.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 95\1\ scan0258 | |
| Date | 1st January 1936 guessed | |
| -3- As a result of information obtained from the Packard car, and, later, fromthe American visit, we tried set up loads on the bearings of the gear for the purpose of making the gear irreversible at low loads. The first experiment was to tighten the bearings until, with the side steering tube removed, 3 lbs. was required at the rim of the wheel and 70 lbs. at the end of the pendulum lever to start the gear moving. This caused a very great improvement from the point of view of joggles although there were still some on a rough road. However, the tightness of the gear was very unpleasant and from subsequent experiments we consider that 1½ - 1¾ lbs. at the rim of the wheel is the maximum permissible. This corresponds to 40-45 lbs. at the pendulum lever end. A further experiment tried on a demonstration car, 35-EX, was a rockershaft with increased torsional stiffness as suggested by Olley. This was tried in conjunction with 1½ lbs. of set up load, and the result was very good, being about equal to the La{L. A. Archer} Salle. Owing to lack of time it was not possible to try the effect of the rockershaft without the set up load. This should be done as soon as possible. | ||