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).
Important complaint detailing design flaws in the Phantom 2's shock dampers and central lubrication system.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\U\2January1930-September1930\ Scan104 | |
| Date | 5th May 1930 | |
| DA.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} ) FROM R.{Sir Henry Royce} BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} Th. ) (At Le CanadelHenry Royce's French residence.) C. to SG.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} WOR.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} IMPORTANT COMPLAINT. R3/M5.5.30. [Handwritten notes:] x777v x3806. x7820. CAR WORK - [Stamped: ORIGINAL] L.H. & R.H. PHANTOM 2. SHOCK DAMPERS - CENTRAL LUBRICATION. The scheme where the above is carried to the shock damper on its way to the ball connection of the shock dampers is bad in principle and in detail - (1) Because the scheme may cause loss of oil from the shock dampers. (2) The thick oil of the central oiling may get in the shock dampers. (3) The detail of getting out of the shock dampers spindle to the lever pipe is not practical, and may lead to much trouble. Since we are now getting the central oiling right on to the axle we may just as well lubricate the joints from the axle. There is a pipe close to the lower ball joint. Then we can cancel the whole of the defective scheme. It appears necessary to do something at once with the present production, but probably it will be simplest to connect up the oiling to the axle. The front vertical pattern damper appears to be worse than the back ones as regards fault (1). Probably the damper oil in circulating flows or splashes or squirts over the spindle and enters the hole intended for the lubricating oil only. Even more serious is the risk of failure of the serrated end of the spindle to be strong and tight. At once this should be altered. I imagine that the hollow set screw might have been put in the end of the shaft. There is also a fault of insufficient clearance for the nut which pushes the lever on to its serrations. This is a production detail. The nut should be capable of following the lever for at least .100". The lever on 18-EX, I now learn became, loose, during the last few months, and the lubrication set screw or/and the clearance had prevented it being tightened originally, and it had to be altered by a special washer, and the lubrication screw cancelled. We cut off the oiling of both cars from the central oiling, and blocked up the scheme to prevent the disastrous loss of oil. Failure or insufficient damping I believe is the cause of complaints against RR. for seasickness. Though I am not sick I hate such cars, and have no confidence in their behaviour on the road. I am surprised that the foregoing fault ever got past our approval of design production engineer, or test. I blame myself in the first instance. I cannot think I ever looked really at the details, or scheme, but I ought to have done so. R.{Sir Henry Royce} | ||