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 a modified Goshawk steering rod which eliminated shocks but increased steering wobble and instability.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\I\August1922\ Scan41 | |
| Date | 1st August 1922 | |
| To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to CJ. c. to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. to Dn. c. to EY. c. to EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} ORIGINAL. Red/LGl1.8.22. GOSHAWK STEERING. X42G4 We have tested one of the side steering rods which allows .5 movement on the spring buffer in one direction. We find that with this ample movement and flexible springs in the side steering rod, that the shocks on the steering wheel are entirely eliminated. This modification however, makes the steering worse in two other directions:- (1) It considerably increases the tendency for steering wobbles. (2) It makes the steering unstable. One can notice a marked difference in the steering of the car according to whether the wheel is turned in the direction to compress the buffer spring or whether it is turning in the opposite direction in which there is a stiff set-up spring. In the direction with the flexible buffer spring, the wheel has to be turned a considerably greater amount. If the car is going at any speed, it is difficult to swerve suddenly in the direction with the buffer spring because the first movement of the wheel only compresses the spring and does not steer the car. We have measured actually on the car the movement on the steering wheel due to the geometry. We fixed the road wheels so that they could not move and then raised and lowered the front of the car. contd:- | ||