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).
Visit to E.R.A. Cars at Bourne, detailing observations on their gearbox and brake systems.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 4\1\ 01-page164 | |
| Date | 17th November 1934 | |
| c.c. To E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c.c. To WOR.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c.c. To RV. c.c. To DH.{D. Henderson - Showroom} c.c. To Hdy.{William Hardy} Ha/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls}10/NOV.17.11.34. Visit to E.R.A. Cars at Bourne. On Friday last Ten. and the writer were able to use the 1100 c.c. and 1500 c.c. and 2-litre E.R.A. cars, and meet their designer, Berthon. The 2-litre recently held for a few days the standing start kilometre record. Two points of interest were the gearbox and brakes. The former of the Wilson type had not given any trouble on any of the cars and had been made by Armstrong's. The ratios were, however, quite unsuitable for racing, and Armstrongs have promised to make a box with indirect ratios of 1.15, 1.5 and 2.0, by another arrangement of the epicyclics. The brakes of the Girling type were the simplest layout we have ever seen. No troubles had been experienced and the 1500 c.c. had done a season's racing without adjusting the brakes. Huge composite drums are used with a .45 carbon steel liner shrunk in an electron drum. The shoes are also of electron. As far as we could estimate the overall ratio was about 50 and the pedal load to take up the clearance about 10-15 lbs. The fore and aft equalisation would not operate except under heavy loads and thus will occasionally take up a new position if the front and rear do not wear evenly. The side equalisers were mounted on a sphere, which we consider better than those on the more usual Girling type on the SpectreCodename for Phantom III, there being less moving parts and no bearings with overhanging loads. Ha/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls} | ||