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).
Standardisation of the Wilson epicyclic gearbox and its potential suitability for production and use.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 65a\3\ scan0336 | |
| Date | 6th October 1932 guessed | |
| The position with regard to the standard use of the Wilson type of epicyclic appears to be that ten firms at this moment have standardised the gear in connection with their productions, three of these in combination with the fluid flywheel. We believe that the E.N.V. Company have made arrangements to produce in mass the gearbox for all these firms. There is undoubtedly a large increase in the Wilson type of box and many people find themselves greatly attracted by the simple and handy pre-selective gear, and there will always be the risk that many people will prefer this arrangement to gearboxes of the synchro-mesh type. We feel that we should know immediately to what extent gear noises or undesirable sounds of any description may be found accompanying the use of this gear on the latest type of standard car to which it has been fitted, in order that wecan decide whether such gear would justify itself under R.R. conditions of production and use. R.{Sir Henry Royce} has for more than 20 years been keen on epicyclic gear arrangements, but we feel that it would be hardly reasonable to expect that he might, starting afresh on the subject at this date, be ever able to catch up with the degree of advancement which has now been shown by the Wilson designs. | ||