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 a faulty steering column on a pre-war chassis, including changes to the manufacturing process.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 38\1\ Scan095 | |
| Date | 25th August 1922 | |
| Y3465 EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} from BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} e.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} BY5-P25.8.22. FAULTY STEERING COLUMN. CHASSIS 51-UB. PREWAR. Y3465 Referring to the tubular piece of the Steering Column which carries the worm which had been bored eccentric so that in one place it was only paper thickness, I personally re-arranged the method for producing this part at the commencement of the postwar program, as it was perfectly clear that the original method of boring from each end was wrong. The present method is to bore the piece right through on a Richards machine, centre off the hole at each end and finish the job. The maximum allowable eccentricity is .0125" with a difference in thickness of .025". I have been in the Works this morning to verify that the method arranged above was still being carried out and found that the method was still in progress and that special tools were in existence and being used for measuring the eccentricity of each part. At the commencement of the postwar program we examined a number of tubes which had been made in prewar days and I condemned some 70 of them for being too eccentric, although none of them were anything like the sample. I am perfectly confident that nothing has been turned out of this nature on the postwar program, and that one can rest assured that this particular matter is always under the eye of the Inspection, in addition to the method being one which it is impossible to make large errors of the type shewn in the sample, during operations. BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} [STAMP: RECEIVED 25 AUG 1922 Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}] | ||