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).
Cracked steering rollers on Wraith and Bentley II models and the reliability of the Bentley V steering.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 153\1\ scan0299 | |
| Date | 12th May 1939 | |
| Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} c. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} 1300. BY.3/C/12.5.39. STEERING. WRAITH AND BENTLEY II. Referring to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}1/E.11.5.39. the total number of cracked rollers is four, distributed as follows :- (a). Three have been found in France, in each case they have been through the handling necessitated by loading and unloading from the boat. (b). One further cracked roller has been returned to Derby. This came from Lillie Hall, and we understand was found in the cracked condition, but it was so badly cracked that it is difficult to believe that it went into Lillie Hall in that state, as the steering would have been so obviously bad that the customer would have complained, whereas apparently the car came in there for another purpose. BENTLEY V.{VIENNA} In regard to the Bentley V.{VIENNA} steering, this is of similar dimensions and construction to the Wraith. With reference to the question of reliability, the new rollers stand up to a load 3 1/2 times as great as that required to turn the lock from wheel to wheel with the car in a stationary condition, due to the fact that it is lower geared, has increased section and is 20% stronger than the Wraith and Bentley II. Personally I am satisfied that this margin is sufficient, bearing in mind that the rollers are being made from bar tested by ourselves, and by our procedure one roller in every batch handled in the Heat Treatment Department is broken for examination. Under these circumstances it is not possible for rollers to leave the Works which have been in any way mishandled in treatment. If at the back of your mind there is still the idea that this material is unstable in treatment, I must insist that this is not the case, as evidenced by the fact that on all Phantom III cars nine parts on the gearbox have been made in this material (the thickness of the gear teeth being less than that of the section of the roller under discussion), and although we have been using this material for 30 years I have never known an instance of a wrong material getting into service. These gears were produced in the ordinary course | ||