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 defective fixing of the front axle to the spring, proposing modifications for the 40/50 HP and Goshawk 11 models.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 49\4\ Scan105 | |
| Date | 27th April 1921 | |
| X4263 To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from R.{Sir Henry Royce} c. to CJ. c. to De. c. to BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} X.4263 - RE FIXING OF FRONT AXLE TO SPRING. X.4372 I have come to the conclusion that the fixing of the front axle to the spring is defective as carried out in the usual manner. Obviously the best way of doing this would be the same as adopted in the underslung car, and which we have adopted for the back axle of Goshawk 11, but at the moment this does not seem practicable, so we have decided to keep the parts in their usual position, and try to improve the fixing. In our 40/50 H.P. the pad is so short along the spring that the two bolts are too close together. In the next lot of forgings this should be altered, making the centre of the present bolt clips 2". In the meantime an axle forging should be produced to prove this to be an advantage, by tests on the bumping rig. Such a forging might possibly be made from the present axle forging before machining, by modifying the rough forging under the hammer (the pad could be rendered 1/10" lower than the present dimension.) You will receive this week the modifications we propose for the Goshawk 11 for this part, and we send three alternative, all of which should be carefully considered, and probably made as models for testing. After working for some time at this job we learnt that the Isotta Fraschiní has adopted a somewhat similar idea. This was encouraging though disappointing, and it shews that when the front brakes are used these clips seem to have given extra trouble, which is exactly what one would anticipate. | ||