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).
Clutch design, comparing single and multi-plate options and material choices.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 74\2\ scan0332 | |
| Date | 14th September 1921 | |
| contd:- -2- R5/G14.9.21. using many plates, that we may find it work like a charm. Speaking generally the clutch promises well but for this slight defect of the plate warping through unequal heating which should be easily surmountable. While this matter is under discussion, I would like to point out that for a single plate clutch it is imperative to use levers on the revolving clutch, otherwise the thrust for the operation would be too heavy and sudden. Should, however, the clutch be made of four or five pairs of plates then the levers can be abandoned, but such a clutch we think would never be quite so free and will have certain other troubles, such as being affected by any want of alignment between the crankshaft and the gear box, which is sure to take place in the life of the chassis. I should like you to test the use of a fabric of the steel plate and the use of the fabric without the steel plate, as will be shewn on Mr. Stent's drawing, but I should not adopt this if we could make the scheme of carrying fabric on the flywheel successfully. I would like to record here the suggestion of using a layer of felt behind the fabric to give springiness which you thought desirable. This being rather a novel arrangement suggested by me might be worthy of a trial, though I think it would be wise to avoid if it we can get satisfaction without. I do believe, however, it would be better than using cotton instead of asbestos for the surface. I was very interetsed to hear that the people fitting and contd:- | ||