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).
Design and manufacturing modifications for an E.A.C. Clutch to reduce weight, inertia, and cost.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 66\4\ scan0015 | |
| Date | 21th March 1925 | |
| V8300 Secret. Messrs. C.L. C. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Crompton-Wood AJS2/H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} 21.3.25. RE E.A.C. CLUTCH. Replying to your memo concerning the reduction of weight, inertia and expense of this, we find that considerable expense has been involved in the manufacture of this part owing to the necessity of an end-milling operation on the outer face of clutch cover in the quadrants between the faces supporting clutch levers. In designing this clutch we only considered it would be necessary to leave these faces drop forged, but we understand that this is impossible owing to the variations in forging thickness, caused by the tilting of the die or punch in the hammers, and we believe that to locate from these faces in jigging is not a commercial proposition. In taking a first look at this job, we can, in addition to the elimination of the expensive feature referred to above, cut out other machining features by taking a clean cut right across the face, as indicated in sketch, and studding or bolting in position (preferably the former), die cast aluminium bronze boxes carrying the clutch levers. Contd. | ||