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).
Bethlehem Torque Amplifier, its application in power-steering, and its origins in military technology.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 154\3\ scan0046 | |
| Date | 24th October 1927 | |
| OY12.R.102427 October 24th, 1927. Mr. Basil Johnson, (For attention of Mr. Royce) Rolls Royce Ltd., London, England. { Copy for attention of London File) { " " " " Mr. Hives) { " " " " Mr. Bailey) Dear Mr. Johnson: RE: STEERING BETHLEHEM TORQUE AMPLIFIER The idea of power-steering for commercial vehicles has been in the wind for some time, but the first device to be widely applied is Nieman's Torque Amplifier, developed by the Bethlehem Steel Company and described in attached folder. This is being applied to commercial cars very widely experimentally, but is not yet announced by any maker as a standard fitting. On large front drive busses which are being developed, some such "assisted" steering seems inevitable. Mr. Nieman, the inventor of the device, called on us this morning. ORIGINAL APPLICATION The device was not originally intended for steering gears, but for the sensitive control of numbers of anti-craft guns from a central control station equipped with a "Vickers-Computator." In this form it is being taken up actively by the U.S. Army and Navy, the gun-laying being done entirely by an electrical control assisted at the gun by a "battery" of two amplifiers in series. Since each amplifier gives a ratio of about 40 to 1, two in series give 1600 to 1, which is enough to move a 3000 lb. gun barrel from the magnetic-ally operated control needle. SUBSEQUENT APPLICATIONS The amplifier has now been applied to gyroscopic control for ships ) both by gyroscopic control for large (L.G. Perry) aeroplanes | ||