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).
Tests to cure clutch jagger and engine shimmy, involving the removal of a diagonal stay and the fitting of dampers and buffers.
Identifier | ExFiles\Box 104\1\ scan0226 | |
Date | 10th October 1934 | |
-2- Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Wym.{G. Harold Whyman - Experimental Manager}2/KW.10.10.34. To do this we removed entirely the front diagonal stay which ties up the pedal shaft to the frame and normally prevents the shaft from bending in the forward direction when the clutch pedal is depressed. The result of this test was that with the pedal shaft link normally spring loaded, we could not produce any sign of clutch jagger even when the clutch was violently abused. Summarised, the position now is that we require the link to N.Sch.4181, and do not require the front diagonal stay on the pedal shaft to cure clutch jaggers. We are at the moment carrying out tests to find out if engine forward movementhas any adverse effect on braking. With regard to the fitting of torque reaction dampers to steady the movement of the engine at low speeds, the lightest of loads on the dampers brings up engine roughness and is progressive, in fact a load of 4 lbs. on each damper was sufficient to remove the objectionable engine "shimmy" from 5 M.P.H. to 8 M.P.H. on top gear, but really spoilt the engine from the point of view of smoothness, even 1 lb. load on each damper affects engine smoothness. We have experimented with a damper fitted to the engine in the vicinity of the fan but with no improvement on the existing torque reaction dampers. We are at present trying a form of rubber buffer fitted near the front of the engine, somewhat similar in principle to those fitted at the rear end of the gearbox. Report on this will be sent in as soon as our investigations are completed. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/G.H.Whyman. | ||