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).
Investigations and proposals for resolving a car gear problem.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 6\4\ 04-page250 | |
| Date | 29th April 1930 | |
| V5310 To/Hdy.{William Hardy} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} } FROM R.{Sir Henry Royce} H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} } (At W'stmoradel) C. Sec. Wox.} H/1/29.4.30. V5310 X 7310 X 503 CAR WORK - GEAR PROBLEM. I must first thank Messrs. Day and Hardy for their investigations and suggestions. They are sound, and contribute towards obtaining something worthy of RR. From all I can learn and judge - see remarks of Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Ds. Hdy.{William Hardy} etc. - there is nothing sufficiently good to be worth adopting with any hope of it giving lasting satisfaction, and suitable for say sending abroad. We have examined :- Synchro-mesh } Spool Type } and our technical and expert Freewheel } drivers staff give information which Wilson gear } is not entirely satisfactory. The Wilson gear seems to be an improvement on Lanchester's gear and retains some of the difficulties of that gear, but is the only one known in the world that fulfills the requirements. When you come to high engine torque the gear becomes too heavy, and it has other defects which we can avoid with the work we have already done, such as the silence filling, extremely high torque that the brakes are subject to. These brakes are in oil which makes them less satisfactory. I want the difference in Wilson/Lanchester type, and what we are proposing, to be understood, and how it simplifies the situation. We retain the standard clutch so that all getting away is done by slipping of this, which is now universally preferred with large dry surfaces, so this is already well tested. My scheme is to have the 1st. and reverse positive, so that we avoid having to provide brakes for the gear subject to 2 and 4 times engine torque. This so reduces our problem providing brakes for 3 and 1 engine torque, and has been a feature of all my proposals. From all we have learnt the epicyclic gear is the most promising. Messrs. Day and Hardy's memo. gives sufficient promise that the accelerated gear that I have suggested will be worth making a design for if we can find a satisfactory way of operating it, that is, the gear. | ||