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).
Proposing a design for automatically controlled shock dampers using an air spring.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\T\March1929-December1929\ Scan122 | |
| Date | 9th May 1929 | |
| ✓ HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} (Struck through) } FROM R.{Sir Henry Royce} DA.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} (Struck through) ORIGINAL R2/M9.5.29. Copy to SG.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} C. (Struck through) " WOR.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} P.N. (Struck through) " MR. CLAREMONT (Struck through) SHOCK DAMPERS. X7520 / X5520 (Struck through) X235 It has occurred to me that in connection with road dampers we know it would be an advantage to alter the damping from the driver's seat. We have patented this idea as automatically controlled by governor, or hand. I have now a detail which may help. It is to control the damper relief valve by the use of an air spring in parallel with the steel spring, the latter giving the minimum damping. [DIAGRAM LABELS] Air pressure connection. Oil passage to other end of damper cylinder. Corrugated syphon tube. Helical steel spring. 1/32" dia. vent for air and by-pass. Relief. Damper piston. A small air pump of piston type is fitted to the engine or transmission, or by hand, and compresses the air in the metallic bellows above the valve, as shewn in the sketch. If the pump is power driven the relief valve spring is set by the driver at will, or it can be controlled by a centrifugal governor, or by the auto: ignition advance. As an alternative we could use a small air vessel above each valve, or one for several valves, and compress the air in this by means of oil or other liquid transmission and distribution. R.{Sir Henry Royce} | ||