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).
Letter to Dunlop Rubber Co. seeking a mathematical explanation for high-speed steering wobbles.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 28\4\ Scan320 | |
| Date | 21th August 1925 | |
| Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rml/LG. X457 Messrs. The Dunlop Rubber Co., Fort Dunlop, Erdington, Birmingham. 21st. Aug. 1925. Dear Sirs, For the attention of Mr. Healey. Development Dept. X457 X4565 HIGH SPEED STEERING WOBBLES. There is one point which is puzzling us in connection with high speed steering wobbles. The balloon tyres on which you took a record yesterday were perfectly balanced. The record of the wobble shows that the period of the wobble is exactly the same as the period of the wheel revolution. If the wheels were not out-of-balance, why should the period of the wobble be the same as that of the wheel revolution? There does not seem to be the slightest reason why the axle should not take up this criss-cross period of vibration at any road speed. Imagine a perfectly smooth road upon which transverse ruts are cut every 10 yds. For any given transverse periodicity of the axle there will be a certain road speed at which these ruts will cause high speed steering wobbles to build up. Now eliminate every other rut so that the distance apart is 20 yds. then the road speed at which we should expect wobbles to develop would be double that originally experienced. Have you any mathematical explanation as to why this should not be so? contd :- | ||