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).
Proposal for a simple and inexpensive method for testing the steering gear assembly using levers, ropes, and weights.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 20\2\ Scan014 | |
| Date | 12th April 1912 guessed | |
| (2) must be borne in mind that all excessive testing of parts that are to be put into use is very dangerous for reasons often pointed out by me. After these tests I think nothing need be done until the whole of the steering gear is assembled. I think that a simple timber lever might be attached to the near side road wheel. Supposing this lever to be 10 ft long, it could have attached to it light wire ropes running horizontally in either direction so as to resist the turning of road wheels when power is applied to the steering wheel; the wire ropes could pass over pulleys on a frame, and then over pulleys in the roof of the testing shop, and be loaded with dead weights in such a way that to turn the steering wheel to the left would lift one weight, and to the right would lift another weight. These weights should stress the steering gear to about 50% to 66% of the elastic limits of the weakest part, and in testing the weights should be lifted by turning the steering gear almost to the extent of a full lock (not quite) from 10 to 100 times. This I think would show up any faulty machining or fitting. I think these suggestions are practical, simple, and not too expensive to justify their adoption without delay, and to be all that I can reasonably see is necessary. I do not think the analysis of material to be of much importance, and need only be done occasionally in a general way to all parts. There is also a very simple | ||