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).
Design improvements for shock dampers to reduce noise and wear.
| Identifier | Morton\M19\ img021 | |
| Date | 1st February 1931 | |
| To R.{Sir Henry Royce} From Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. to Ds. Hdy.{William Hardy} RHC.{R. H. Coverley - Production Engineer} c. to HY.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} ORIGINAL Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}1/KT.1C.2.31. SHOCK DAMPERS. X-35 With reference to R.2/M.10.2.31., attached is a sketch of a damper which we think contains the minimum number of parts to produce a silent, accessible and efficient unit. Naturally we should now include your suggested piston though we believe having the replenishing valves therein is a real asset for simplicity and efficiency. Once we get rid of the links, the necessity of using very short damper main levers is much reduced, because no wear on the split piston can cause noise and it is easy to make the main bearing larger; at present this is not a frequent source of noise or wear. We agree that we must continue working to find the most desirable load characteristics, but we have to remember that Springfield have succeeded in producing cars which both Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} and Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} agree ride remarkably well, and they have used nothing but our ordinary parts with drilled valves. The main complaint has been noise, and this has prevented higher loads being utilised when demanded by customers which has produced a second complaint of ineffectiveness. RHC.{R. H. Coverley - Production Engineer} has succeeded in reproducing the pressed on main levers and we are at present running these on the Bump test together with a split piston and larger dia. shaft with a view to anticipating how parts at present under design are likely to wear. We are following up your suggestion and testing out masked valves for silence. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||