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).
The testing and failure analysis of rollers, including an incident with a Bentley car.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 153\1\ scan0265 | |
| Date | 18th April 1939 | |
| - 2 - (f). One of the rollers produced and heat treated by this Company, but finished ground by Hoffmanns, stood up to an overload of 3 to 1 without defect. Tested further it failed at an overload of 3½ to 1. That we had every reason to believe that the improved roller developed as above was satisfactory was confirmed by the fact that the Bentley car fitted with modified steering rollers was involved in an accident, in which one of the front wheels struck an obstacle straight in its path. The tyre was burst by the impact, but except for indentations in the ball race the follower roller was undamaged. (g). The mistake that we made was, that we did not take rollers from batches, as they were received, and break them, to ensure that the product was satisfactory. This was undoubtedly an oversight. Had this test been imposed and carried out, we should have avoided the present difficulties. BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} | ||