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).
Evaluating various design options for engine drive mechanisms, including brakes and dampers.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 136\1\ scan0038 | |
| Date | 30th May 1933 | |
| - 2 - E.4/HP.30.5.33. ---------- to have some inherent advantages in damping out vibration as it is often used satisfactorily on 6 cylinder engines where no crankshaft damper is fitted. It is possible that the chain rides up the faces of the teeth and thereby introduces a certain amount of sliding when there is considerable reversal of the drive. We have flirted with this type of drive before on paper, but have never got as far as trying anything out. As it would mean considerable redesign of the engine to make a practical application of the silent chain we are not doing anything with it until we have tried some of the other possible solutions. No.4. The use of a friction brake fitted with centrifugal device to throw it out of action with increase in speed. We do not favour this scheme very much especially as we think so far as we have gone that the amount of braking required particularly on the Bensport would be fairly considerable. Brakes with and without the centrifugal device are used to avoid over-run rattles, one instance being the Alfa Romeo, and we ourselves have used braking devices from time to time on dynamo and magneto drives. No.5. Friction cum gear drive. This is a scheme that has been used in which in one form the gear wheels composing the drive are provided with cylindrical drums corresponding to the pitch line diameter of the gear, which contact together under load and prevent over-run. We do not think this is a practical or lasting scheme. No.6. Finally as a small measure of improvement we might mount the dynamo pinion on an adjustable bearing to eliminate slack between the camshaft and dynamo drive and thereby control the movement of the camshaft wheel by the inertia of the dynamo armature. The benefit to be obtained from this is problematical, but there is an additional advantage to production in having the dynamo pinion adjustable so that its slack can be fixed independently of the remainder of the gear train. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} | ||