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 effects of hydraulic shock dampers on riding comfort and steering, specifically addressing high-speed wobble.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 55\3\ Scan106 | |
| Date | 12th March 1926 | |
| Expl: Report: Expl: No. 235 Ref. Hs {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} /Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /LG12.3.26. To R. {Sir Henry Royce} from Hs {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} /Rm. {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. to CJ. BJ. c. to RG. {Mr Rowledge} E. {Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. to DA. {Bernard Day - Chassis Design} BY. {R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to Wor. {Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} HYDRAULIC SHOCK DAMPERS. +8430 As the main troubles with these dampers now appear to have been overcome, we have been trying their effect on (a) Riding comfort. (b) Steering. (a) At their present setting they do not appear to have any adverse effect on the 20 - 30 m.p.h. riding of the car, the speed at which we have found that the comfort of the passengers is very susceptible to alterations of the front springing. At high speeds and under normal touring conditions, our tests so far indicate that the riding of the car is very good. To get the same result with pure friction shock absorbers we have to sacrifice comfort at very low speeds. (b) We find that the worst speed for road shocks with the high geared Silver Ghost front wheel brake steering is round about the critical wobbling speed of the car. It appears to us that at this point the axle is in a state of unstable equilibrium and 'echos' any road shock sustained by the wheels. It is always trying to vibrate in a criss-cross manner even though there is insufficient out of balance or tyre inequality to build up a genuine high speed wobble. We consider that fitting the hydraulic dampers sensibly diminishes the road shocks on the steering wheel at these high speeds, presumably because any criss cross vibrations of the axle are damped out. Naturally it requires contd :- | ||