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).
Introductory document on vibration damping and shock absorbing devices.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 28\1\ Scan078 | |
| Date | 22th June 1926 | |
| Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rml/T22.6.26. VIBRATION DAMPING AND SHOCK ABSORBING DEVICES. (I) INTRODUCTION. (a) Qualification of the title. There are large numbers of devices marketed to-day under the title of "Shock Absorbers". Their exact function, however, differs very widely, some being designed to produce exactly the opposite effect of others. The suspension of most cars suffers from two main faults, to remedy which some type of shock absorber is frequently fitted. (i) The suspension fails to absorb the shocks transmitted by small road irregularities, i.e. what appears to be a smooth road promotes quite definite riding discomfort for the passengers. (ii) When driving fast over bad roads the car tends to pitch fore and aft, often due to the fact that the front springs of a car frequently have a deflection approximating to one half of the rear springs, i.e. their frequency is almost double tending to set up a forced vibration. Pitching is also likely to be present, whatever the spring periodicity, due to insufficient internal damping for maximum deflections. It is necessary to consider the devices marketed to cope with these two troubles separately as far as possible. Contd. | ||