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).
Improvement of clutches and comparing different designs.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 129\2\ scan0029 | |
| Date | 11th May 1935 | |
| X2200 W/S To Sgr from E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. Wer. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} Hdy.{William Hardy} E.1/HP.11.5.35. re Clutches. With reference to the general question of improving our clutches, we have up till now obtained a very satisfactory result with the type of clutch in which the fabric is on the driving surfaces and the driven plate is slotted and either sprung or used in conjunction with a sprung back-plate. This form of clutch however has the fundamental disadvantage of not cooling the driving surfaces too well, and our efforts during the past two or three years have been directed to developing a clutch with the fabric on the driven plate, with a view to producing a clutch which is more robust, and more suited for use with a synchromesh gearbox. It must be admitted that the results up-to-date are not as satisfactory. We have carefully compared our designs with the Borg and Beck and other known good clutches, including one that I have been using on the Vauxhall which has given, and is still giving very satisfactory service. The main difference that emerges is in the mounting of the driven plate. Whereas on our present standard clutches we are able to float the driven member on two plain guides, having a considerable base with the driving teeth in between and eccentric to the plane of the driven plate, these other clutches arrange a short toothed drive only with square section teeth in the same plane as the driven plate, arranged to reduce the friction of movement to a minimum. *transmission coupling Our original scheme was arranged for the accommodation of the flywheel spigot and spring drive, and to reduce the overhang of the flywheel to a minimum. We are looking into the question of introducing the modified mounting, and it may mean moving the flywheel a little further back and then may also involve some alteration | ||