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).
Road tests and performance issues with front wheel brakes.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 73\2\ scan0065 | |
| Date | 27th October 1923 | |
| R.R. 493A (40 H) (SL 42 12-7-23). J.H., D.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} SECRET Y9940 EXPERIMENTAL REPORT. Expl. No. 9940 REF: HES/L G27.10.23. To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to CJ. c. to Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} c. to Rg.{Mr Rowledge} c. to HY.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} ROAD TESTS. FRONT WHEEL BRAKES. (a) Test of original arrangement of Control. Everything in front of the Equaliser to LeC. drawing. Equaliser - Goshawk-ll adapted. Performance. (1) Excruciating jaggers when the brakes applied sharply moving forward. (2) Poor braking on reverse. (3) Steering takes charge completely when braking on corners. Probable causes. We attribute (1) and (2) to the fact that the axle twists when the brakes are applied causing them to pull on when going forwards and pull off when reversing. (3) is caused by the deflection of the springs causing the steering pivots to actually assume a forward instead of a backward lean. This movement is aggravated by the violence of the brake application due to the serving action of the brakes pulling on, mentioned as the cause of (1) and (2). (b) Test of an arrangement to convert the previous pull-on of the brakes to a pull-off and see if, in consequence, the jaggers were eliminated confirming our supposition in (a). (arrangement GL.{G. Linnett} 74). Brake ropes attached to the axle about 5" behind its centre in a horizontal plane. Three positions for attachment in a vertical plane :- contd:- | ||