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).
American complaint regarding 40/50 HP steering stiffening and the subsequent investigation.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\Q\2-July1927-September1927\ 34 | |
| Date | 1st August 1927 | |
| To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. to BJ. Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to RG.{Mr Rowledge} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. to BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} DA.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} c. to OY. ORIGINAL Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}3/LG12. 8.27. X8430 X3682 40/50 HP. STEERINGS. The American complaint is that in service their steerings stiffen up when parking until they are practically self-locking. It will be remembered that after our initial trouble with sticking steerings which was overcome by improved manufacture of nuts and worms, the main complaint with which we have had to deal is that of joggles. We have recently carried out some intensive tests to see if we could reproduce the American trouble on one of our present worms and nuts. It will be observed from the attached report that :- (a) Under normal conditions the steering box temperature does not exceed 50°C. and we are therefore somewhat puzzled by the figure of 180°F which we have been given by Springfield. Possibly they have less ventilation than we have or the box gets warm by conduction. (b) Under the most severe conditions that we can produce, which must be worse than those normally encountered in the States, we cannot get any signs of tightening up in a correctly made worm and nut when lubricated with our standard oils (Prices Motorine 'B' and 'C'). The steering can be made to tighten up if we use a very thin oil such as Mobile 'E' (Ford oil). contd :- | ||