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).
Investigation into the amount of headlamp and front wing movement on a Bentley car.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 3\6\ 06-page255 | |
| Date | 11th October 1934 | |
| To E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} from Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Wym.{G. Harold Whyman - Experimental Manager} c. to Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} c. to Hy.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Wym.{G. Harold Whyman - Experimental Manager}16/KW.11.10.34. Bentley Headlamp & Wing Movement. We have been investigating the amount of headlamp and front wing movement on Bentley car 1-B-IV. We rigged up a scheme for measuring these movements by fixing a plate rigidly to the radiator, with a strip of paper across it, and 3 brackets carrying pencils, 1 attached to each headlamp and the other one attached to the frame. The car was then run over the same stretch of road at 60 M.P.H. and the pencils recorded the respective movements of the headlamps and frame relative to the radiator, the radiator being taken as the most stationary point on the car due to its central mounting. Attached is a photograph of the measuring apparatus. Each test was repeated 3 times and the average figures for the 3 runs are given. Our first series of tests were taken with standard type wings and running boards fitted to the car, and the second tests with all-metal wings and running boards in one piece. From the attached graphs it will be seen that there is very little difference between one-piece wings and standard type wings. The front bumper stabilisers do more work than anything else, the light Rover one (weighing 30 lbs.) being a little better than the Wilmot one (weighing 60 lbs.) when used separately with standard type wings, but worse when used with one piece wings. When fitted in conjunction with the cross member between the headlamps the Wilmot stabiliser is in both cases the more effective. The following table gives the percentage of increase or decrease in frame and headlamp movements with various fitments, all figures being relative to the car in its standard condition. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/C.H.Whyman. | ||