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).
Testing and comparison of a new Bishop steering gear against other models.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 28\2\ Scan177 | |
| Date | 9th May 1933 | |
| Y4094 FILES ONLY To Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} From Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} C. WOR{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} C. BY DA.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} C. HDY.{William Hardy} Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}1/KT.9.5.33. BISHOP STEERING GEAR. The Bishop steering gear people have now submitted a unit for us to test, with a 33% lower overall ratio than that we previously tried. The results are very interesting because they show that the type of steering which is free from road shocks cannot have a forward efficiency of much more than 50%. We say this because we have confirmed this on two steerings, the Marles Weller and the Bishop. Our own worm and nut steering has a forward efficiency of at least 75% and our steerings are reasonably light from a driver's point of view. If we maintain our present ease of steering, therefore, and get our irreversibility by means which we have proved successful, we shall have to be prepared to have about a 33% lower steering ratio, or make it harder work to park a car. Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}'s car, which is considered satisfactory by all sales people who have tried it, has acutally a 33% lower gear than our present standard production. There is an alternative line of investigation which is to compensate for the lower efficiency of shockless steering gears by reducing the friction in the front axle pivots, and we are making some experiments on these lines, but can foresee certain difficulties such as increased tendencies for high and low speed wobbles, which may prevent the experiments from being successful. We attach a print showing the forward reverse efficiency of the Marles Weller gear, taken at the time this was fitted to 58-GN. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||