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).
Recommendations for a new axle design, detailing specifications and comparing half-floating and 3/4 floating options.
Identifier | ExFiles\Box 7\3\ X 602 Axle Rear-page24 | |
Date | 24th September 1936 | |
-3- Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls}16/KB.24.9.36. We attach a sketch showing how we could try a 45 or 40 m/m.{Mr Moon / Mr Moore} half shaft on the present Bentley with a very small overhang. We shall test this on a rig the equivalent of 100,000 miles. The drawing shows two designs, one with a solid half shaft and the other with splines at the inner end. The latter does not need many alterations for test purposes. For a new design such as Wraith, where the brake layout can be altered, the overhang could be reduced to nothing. The recommendations of this department are - (1) That Wraith should start with the present 25/30 axle. (2) An axle should be designed to the following specification - (a) Half floating; no overhang. (b) Solid half shafts, integral with the bevel wheel, in S/ZBCR (also used by the old Bentley Company), with a 1 in 10 taper for the hub. (c) Aluminium centre box. (d) Axle tubes as shown on the Bentley sketch. The tube itself is swaged .4 carbon .8 manganese steel with no weld, and will be supplied by Tubes Ltd. at 4/10d. each. The total cost per tube with the ends including welding should be under £1. Rubery Owen will do the electrical butt welding for a few pence. (e) The Schatz bearing housing to be one piece with the side plate to facilitate accurate assembly. We prefer a half floating axle with no overhang to a 3/4 floating one because of the ease of assembly. The removal of one nut suffices for removing the hub and brake drums. The cost is less than for the 3/4 floating arrangement. | ||