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 to hold a conference with coachbuilders to discuss chassis vibrations and the division of responsibility.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 117\1\ scan0011 | |
| Date | 14th October 1930 | |
| To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}12/E/14.10.30 - R - I propose at an early date after the Show to hold a conference with the coachbuilders and the RR officials concerned so that this matter may be fully ventilated. Taking our own case I have often noticed a tendency for our own people to look upon our part of the work in building the chassis too much as if our respons-ibility ceased at this point and that any subsequent troubles which might arise as a result of bodies being fitted are the fault of the coachbuilder, and on the other hand there is, as mentioned above, a tendency for the coachbuilder to take the view that his coachwork is entirely quiet and free from booming so long as it is apart from the chassis and, therefore, any troubles which arise may be the fault of the chassis. So far as we ourselves are concerned it is quite obvious that, where a mechanism such as a chassis has to contain a large number of parts moving at widely varying speeds, tendencies are set up from time to time for vibrations and "fusses" to develop, some of a periodic nature which we cannot entirely obliterate, others of a description that are more amenable to treatment. From the earliest history of the chassis there is of course evidence that a struggle has been continuously made to reduce these tendencies as much as possible, whether by the provision of torque reaction dampers or slipper flywheels on crankshaft etc. Our efforts have been continuous in trying to produce a smooth running mechanism. In this we have achieved probably a marked degree of success, but only to a degree, as it undoubtedly would be unreasonable to expect a 100% of achievement in this direction. One of our difficulties has been to obtain a condition of consistency in our production and to be able to rely upon these devices referred to above remaining "put" so that the amplitude of vibrations between one chassis and another does not vary unduly, or during the running of any one chassis. | ||